10 Ways to Conquer Your Procrastination
Put aside your big project for just a moment longer to read this article.
By Marty Nemko, Contributing Columnist, Kiplinger.com
October 2009
Aren't you sick of hearing, "But you have so much potential”?
I don’t know about you, but I believe my life's worth is defined by what I've produced. Every time you forgo productivity in favor of TV, golf or gardening, aren't you wasting life’s most precious resource—time? The following ways to reduce procrastination have often worked for my clients. I hope you'll find at least one worth trying.
Set a big goal. Goethe said, “Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” So what’s the most exciting goal you might achieve if you put your mind to it? Even if you’re unsure you could do it, might partial achievement or simply enjoying the process be good enough? Most people don’t have the intellectual firepower to make a big contribution, but you’re a Kiplinger reader. You do.
Picture the benefits of achieving your goal. Money? Fame? Self-esteem? A more meaningful life? Getting your spouse off your back?
Recognize that success lies mainly within you. Stop believing such nonsense as "The world is abundant. It will provide" or "It's in the hands of fate." Yes, luck matters, but success is mainly in your hands, although it sometimes requires the help of others you trust.
Recruit a partner. Compensate for your lack of drive by adding some firepower to your project as necessary.
Be aware of the “moment of truth.” That's when you decide, usually subconsciously, whether you should work or play. By making that choice consciously, you’ll more often choose the productive activity.
Start big projects NOW. It's tough to determine, in advance, how long a big project will take. So waiting until the last minute greatly increases the risk you'll do a bad job. Make this rule inviolate: I will start a big project as soon as it is assigned to me.
How do you get motivated to stick with that rule? Remind yourself that if you start right away, the project will be more fun:
• You'll avoid the stress of trying to get it done well at the last minute.
• You'll have time to play with the parts you like to do—for example, toying with words or illustrating.
• If you're done early, you'll have a chunk of free time that you can enjoy without the project hanging over your head.
• You'll likely have done a better job, which will yield more praise and make you proud of yourself.
Use the mantra "Make it fun; more will get done." Constantly ask yourself, "What's the fun way to do this task?”
Take the “one-minute struggle” test. If you haven’t made progress within a minute, additional struggling probably won't help. It merely will make you procrastinate more in the future as you recall the pain you experienced in doing previous tasks. After the one-minute mark, get help or try to figure out a way to do the project without the hard part.
Avoid perfectionism, especially on first drafts. Just get it on paper. It's far easier to revise your way to perfection than to generate it out of thin air.
Embrace discipline. Intelligence and discipline are the biggest factors distinguishing successful people from unsuccessful people. What does discipline mean? A few examples:
• Be willing to stay focused on a task, taking breaks only when necessary, until the task or a component of it is complete.
• Be willing to fight past the discomfort of not knowing: Struggle to master something, be willing to expose your deficiencies by asking a co-worker a question, or hire a tutor or mentor to accelerate your learning.
• Work longer hours. We tend to repress the obvious truth that the longer you work at your profession or avocation, the better you'll get.
Now stop reading Kiplinger and do something productive. All right, five more minutes with Kiplinger.
________________________________________
Marty Nemko is a contributing columnist for Kiplinger and has been named “The Bay Area’s Best Career Coach” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Find more than 500 of his other published writings free at www.martynemko.com.
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Best Values in Private Colleges
Best Values in Private Colleges
Our top 100 schools deliver an affordable, high-quality education and keep the financial aid flowing.
By Jane Bennett Clark, Senior Associate Editor
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, December 2009
A year ago, private colleges were struggling to navigate rough economic waters. Then they headed into the hurricane. Endowments plunged along with the stock market. Families whose savings had sunk or whose home equity had disappeared began rethinking plans to send their kids to private schools.
Students who did apply to private institutions, or who hoped to return, asked for financial aid in greater numbers and requested larger amounts. With resources tight for both parents and colleges, says Barmak Nassirian, of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, “it was a very scary time all around.”
But here’s the surprise: In many cases, students who applied to college for the 2009-10 academic year actually received more financial help than the previous year’s applicants. Independent colleges boosted financial aid by 9% while keeping tuition increases -- an average of 4.3% -- to their lowest levels in four decades (increasing the average cost of a year at a private school to about $35,600). Some schools, worried about competition from public schools, accepted more applicants. And many vigorously pruned expenses. Result? Families found that private college was still affordable, and enrollments generally held steady. Says David Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities: “What we’re seeing is a well-weathered storm.”
To find schools that have weathered the storm especially well, look to Kiplinger’s 100 best values in private colleges and universities for 2009-10. These institutions, led by Pomona College among liberal-arts colleges and the California Institute of Technology among universities, provide a top-quality education at an affordable price -- usually because of generous financial aid.
Think you earn too much to qualify for financial aid? You might be pleasantly surprised. In recent years, most top-tier colleges and universities have extended financial aid almost exclusively to students with need. A few of the top 20 institutions in our rankings, however, bestow merit money to a significant percentage of students. Davidson (read more about it), Whitman and Grinnell on the liberal-arts side, and Rice, Stanford, Emory, Vanderbilt and the University of Richmond on the list of universities, offer scholarships to at least 20% of their undergraduates. Grinnell awards aid to an impressive 61%.
Delivering real value
Kiplinger’s definition of value starts with academic quality. Each year, we choose schools that are competitive enough to attract bright students and strong enough to keep them. Unlike other rankings, our rankings use numeric, not subjective, measures to determine quality. (For more on how we crunch the numbers, see How We Rank the Schools.)
True to our personal-finance focus, we also look at costs, including the price of attending the institution and its generosity when it comes to financial aid. Strange as it may seem to call a school that charges, say, $50,000 a year a good value, many of our top-ranked institutions give enough aid -- often in the form of grants -- to bring the average price to as little as half or less of the sticker price. Because liberal-arts colleges concentrate on undergraduates and universities extend their mission to graduate students, we separate our top 100 into two lists, but we apply the same academic and financial criteria to both categories.
This year’s top 100 private colleges and universities met the challenges of a slumping economy with brio, delivering quality, generous financial aid and, in a few cases, sticker prices that are almost as low as out-of-state tuition at some public institutions. Caltech, in Pasadena, which heads the list of private universities for the fourth time running, and Pomona, in Claremont, Cal., which leads the liberal-arts list for the second consecutive year, may be the past and current crown jewels, but gems appear throughout our rankings.
On the liberal-arts side, Swarthmore, outside of Philadelphia, edges out Williams, in Williamstown, Mass., for the number-two spot, in part because of the significant merit aid it awards to a few students. Both schools attract outstanding students and offer enough need-based aid to make them affordable to families with limited resources.
Princeton, Harvard and Yale, on the universities side, also offer ample need-based aid and have stretched the definition of need to include families with higher incomes. At Yale, where total costs run $48,450 per year, families pay an average of 10% of their income.
Some schools in our rankings simply offer a good education at a good price. Wheaton, Wofford, College of St. Benedict, Hillsdale, Knox and Thomas Aquinas, on the liberal-arts list, manage to keep total costs below $40,000. On the universities side, Elon, Creighton, Whitworth, Bradley, the University of Tulsa and Gonzaga also have sticker prices under $40,000. College of St. Benedict, in St. Joseph, Minn., and Bradley University, in Peoria, Ill., are both new to the top 100.
Cutting costs, not quality
Like many schools, Pomona has coped with reduced endowment revenue (down 22% from June 2008 to June 2009) and greater financial need by cutting expenses on everything except academics. The college froze salaries across the board, offered voluntary retirement packages to nonacademic employees and cut back on nonessentials, such as catering for administration events. As a member of the five-college Claremont consortium, Pomona is able to save money by sharing resources, including professors, across campuses.
Despite all these cutbacks, Pomona provides its students with a top-quality education in a setting that snowbound Ivy Leaguers can only dream of. This small school, with some 1,500 students, faces the stunning San Gabriel Mountains and basks in the Southern California sun. Almost all of its freshmen return for sophomore year, a sure sign of happy campers, and 90% of its seniors graduate on time, sparing their parents the expense of a fifth year. As for financial aid, if you need it, you get it. The average financial-aid package brings the $50,568 sticker price down to a modest $16,454.
About 25 miles west of Pomona College, students at Caltech enjoy an equally sun-saturated setting, along with the ultimate in academic nurturing: a student-faculty ratio of three to one, the lowest ratio on either list. Here, 100% of incoming freshmen score more than 700 on the math section of the SAT. Thanks to small classes and a compact campus, these left-brainers have plenty of opportunity to soak up each other’s smarts as well as the wisdom of an elite faculty that includes five Nobel-prize winners.
But it doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out that Caltech provides a great deal as well as great academics. It charges a relatively low sticker price of $46,629, and it knocks more than half off, on average, for students who qualify for need-based aid. It also offers merit scholarships, although those awards are being phased out, says Caltech president Jean-Lou Chameau. Students graduate with an average debt of $9,871, the second-lowest on our universities list. (Princeton leads in that category: Its students walk away with an average debt of less than $6,000.)
Caltech’s endowment did not emerge from the recession unscathed, but the hit could have been worse: It lost about 20% over the 12 months that ended in September, compared with Harvard’s 27.3% haircut and Yale’s 24.6% drop (as of June 30). The school responded to the downturn by cutting administrative costs and postponing long-term projects, but it continued to hire faculty and maintain financial aid. Last spring, applicants enthusiastically responded to Caltech’s efforts, accepting admission in record numbers. Chameau says the school has no problem squeezing in a few more students. “We will accommodate them, and they will be happy here.”
A mixed outlook
How will next year’s college applicants fare? Prospects are mixed. Tuition increases should remain in the 4.3% range, says Warren, making the average annual total cost of a private-college education a little more than $37,000 in 2010Ð11. That’s a smaller bump than the 6% increase of recent years. But the amount itself is hardly peanuts, especially compared with the $14,500 average total cost at a public school. Many private colleges already charge more than $50,000 per year.
Meanwhile, colleges that had recently expanded their financial aid, including replacing loans with grants, must now do so with vastly diminished endowments -- the well from which much of the aid is drawn. So far, top-tier schools have stood by their commitment. But some schools are quietly adjusting their admissions policies to weed out more-needy students, says David Oxtoby, president of Pomona. He hopes to continue Pomona’s no-loan policy, introduced in 2007, but won’t guarantee it. “We can’t commit to never pulling back.”
Our top 100 schools deliver an affordable, high-quality education and keep the financial aid flowing.
By Jane Bennett Clark, Senior Associate Editor
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, December 2009
A year ago, private colleges were struggling to navigate rough economic waters. Then they headed into the hurricane. Endowments plunged along with the stock market. Families whose savings had sunk or whose home equity had disappeared began rethinking plans to send their kids to private schools.
Students who did apply to private institutions, or who hoped to return, asked for financial aid in greater numbers and requested larger amounts. With resources tight for both parents and colleges, says Barmak Nassirian, of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, “it was a very scary time all around.”
But here’s the surprise: In many cases, students who applied to college for the 2009-10 academic year actually received more financial help than the previous year’s applicants. Independent colleges boosted financial aid by 9% while keeping tuition increases -- an average of 4.3% -- to their lowest levels in four decades (increasing the average cost of a year at a private school to about $35,600). Some schools, worried about competition from public schools, accepted more applicants. And many vigorously pruned expenses. Result? Families found that private college was still affordable, and enrollments generally held steady. Says David Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities: “What we’re seeing is a well-weathered storm.”
To find schools that have weathered the storm especially well, look to Kiplinger’s 100 best values in private colleges and universities for 2009-10. These institutions, led by Pomona College among liberal-arts colleges and the California Institute of Technology among universities, provide a top-quality education at an affordable price -- usually because of generous financial aid.
Think you earn too much to qualify for financial aid? You might be pleasantly surprised. In recent years, most top-tier colleges and universities have extended financial aid almost exclusively to students with need. A few of the top 20 institutions in our rankings, however, bestow merit money to a significant percentage of students. Davidson (read more about it), Whitman and Grinnell on the liberal-arts side, and Rice, Stanford, Emory, Vanderbilt and the University of Richmond on the list of universities, offer scholarships to at least 20% of their undergraduates. Grinnell awards aid to an impressive 61%.
Delivering real value
Kiplinger’s definition of value starts with academic quality. Each year, we choose schools that are competitive enough to attract bright students and strong enough to keep them. Unlike other rankings, our rankings use numeric, not subjective, measures to determine quality. (For more on how we crunch the numbers, see How We Rank the Schools.)
True to our personal-finance focus, we also look at costs, including the price of attending the institution and its generosity when it comes to financial aid. Strange as it may seem to call a school that charges, say, $50,000 a year a good value, many of our top-ranked institutions give enough aid -- often in the form of grants -- to bring the average price to as little as half or less of the sticker price. Because liberal-arts colleges concentrate on undergraduates and universities extend their mission to graduate students, we separate our top 100 into two lists, but we apply the same academic and financial criteria to both categories.
This year’s top 100 private colleges and universities met the challenges of a slumping economy with brio, delivering quality, generous financial aid and, in a few cases, sticker prices that are almost as low as out-of-state tuition at some public institutions. Caltech, in Pasadena, which heads the list of private universities for the fourth time running, and Pomona, in Claremont, Cal., which leads the liberal-arts list for the second consecutive year, may be the past and current crown jewels, but gems appear throughout our rankings.
On the liberal-arts side, Swarthmore, outside of Philadelphia, edges out Williams, in Williamstown, Mass., for the number-two spot, in part because of the significant merit aid it awards to a few students. Both schools attract outstanding students and offer enough need-based aid to make them affordable to families with limited resources.
Princeton, Harvard and Yale, on the universities side, also offer ample need-based aid and have stretched the definition of need to include families with higher incomes. At Yale, where total costs run $48,450 per year, families pay an average of 10% of their income.
Some schools in our rankings simply offer a good education at a good price. Wheaton, Wofford, College of St. Benedict, Hillsdale, Knox and Thomas Aquinas, on the liberal-arts list, manage to keep total costs below $40,000. On the universities side, Elon, Creighton, Whitworth, Bradley, the University of Tulsa and Gonzaga also have sticker prices under $40,000. College of St. Benedict, in St. Joseph, Minn., and Bradley University, in Peoria, Ill., are both new to the top 100.
Cutting costs, not quality
Like many schools, Pomona has coped with reduced endowment revenue (down 22% from June 2008 to June 2009) and greater financial need by cutting expenses on everything except academics. The college froze salaries across the board, offered voluntary retirement packages to nonacademic employees and cut back on nonessentials, such as catering for administration events. As a member of the five-college Claremont consortium, Pomona is able to save money by sharing resources, including professors, across campuses.
Despite all these cutbacks, Pomona provides its students with a top-quality education in a setting that snowbound Ivy Leaguers can only dream of. This small school, with some 1,500 students, faces the stunning San Gabriel Mountains and basks in the Southern California sun. Almost all of its freshmen return for sophomore year, a sure sign of happy campers, and 90% of its seniors graduate on time, sparing their parents the expense of a fifth year. As for financial aid, if you need it, you get it. The average financial-aid package brings the $50,568 sticker price down to a modest $16,454.
About 25 miles west of Pomona College, students at Caltech enjoy an equally sun-saturated setting, along with the ultimate in academic nurturing: a student-faculty ratio of three to one, the lowest ratio on either list. Here, 100% of incoming freshmen score more than 700 on the math section of the SAT. Thanks to small classes and a compact campus, these left-brainers have plenty of opportunity to soak up each other’s smarts as well as the wisdom of an elite faculty that includes five Nobel-prize winners.
But it doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out that Caltech provides a great deal as well as great academics. It charges a relatively low sticker price of $46,629, and it knocks more than half off, on average, for students who qualify for need-based aid. It also offers merit scholarships, although those awards are being phased out, says Caltech president Jean-Lou Chameau. Students graduate with an average debt of $9,871, the second-lowest on our universities list. (Princeton leads in that category: Its students walk away with an average debt of less than $6,000.)
Caltech’s endowment did not emerge from the recession unscathed, but the hit could have been worse: It lost about 20% over the 12 months that ended in September, compared with Harvard’s 27.3% haircut and Yale’s 24.6% drop (as of June 30). The school responded to the downturn by cutting administrative costs and postponing long-term projects, but it continued to hire faculty and maintain financial aid. Last spring, applicants enthusiastically responded to Caltech’s efforts, accepting admission in record numbers. Chameau says the school has no problem squeezing in a few more students. “We will accommodate them, and they will be happy here.”
A mixed outlook
How will next year’s college applicants fare? Prospects are mixed. Tuition increases should remain in the 4.3% range, says Warren, making the average annual total cost of a private-college education a little more than $37,000 in 2010Ð11. That’s a smaller bump than the 6% increase of recent years. But the amount itself is hardly peanuts, especially compared with the $14,500 average total cost at a public school. Many private colleges already charge more than $50,000 per year.
Meanwhile, colleges that had recently expanded their financial aid, including replacing loans with grants, must now do so with vastly diminished endowments -- the well from which much of the aid is drawn. So far, top-tier schools have stood by their commitment. But some schools are quietly adjusting their admissions policies to weed out more-needy students, says David Oxtoby, president of Pomona. He hopes to continue Pomona’s no-loan policy, introduced in 2007, but won’t guarantee it. “We can’t commit to never pulling back.”
Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
Jane Bennett Clark
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Despite widespread budget cuts, these schools still deliver strong academics at affordable prices.
The economy may be recovering, but the effects of the recession continue to buffet the nation's public colleges and universities. State governments, coping with shrunken tax revenues and an overwhelming demand for services, have cut funding for higher education. Universities that once relied on the income from fat endowments have yet to recoup multimillion-dollar losses to their portfolios. Families continue to apply for financial aid in record numbers. Meanwhile, enrollment at state institutions has spiked as more students go public and more people overall seek college degrees.
The schools in our top 100 best values in public colleges and universities -- led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for overall value and by Binghamton University (SUNY) for out-of-state value -- continue to deliver strong academics at reasonable prices, in many cases by offering the same or more financial aid as in previous years. But no one can say that it has been easy.
To cope with less money and more students, public institutions, including many in our rankings, have slashed operating costs and raised tuition beyond the average increase of about five percentage points over inflation in recent years. The University of California system, caught in the downdraft of a state budget meltdown, imposed a midyear tuition hike of 15 percent, to be followed by another 15 percent increase in the summer, precipitating statewide protests. (Our rankings reflect tuition and fees, including midyear increases, as of December 1, 2009.)
With neither state nor college budgets able to turn on a dime, the immediate future for public higher education looks "difficult, challenging and messy," says Daniel Hurley, of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Your student could end up in bigger classes with more part-time instructors -- or worse yet, get shut out of a public college altogether as states limit enrollment to control costs.
In the best-case scenario, however, colleges will find more and better ways to preserve quality and eliminate fat, perhaps ultimately reducing the size or frequency of tuition increases. Some universities, including UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Maryland at College Park (number 8 in our rankings), are already doing just that. "There's no reason we can't conduct nonacademic functions as efficiently as possible," says UNC chancellor Holden Thorp.
Last year, Thorp hired consultants Bain & Co. to help streamline operations, enabling the university to pare 10 percent in administrative expenses in anticipation of a state reduction in funding. "We insisted that the cuts be as far away from the classroom as we could get them," says Thorp. In Maryland, the university system struck a bargain with state leaders in which school administrators pledged to cut costs in exchange for a steady flow of state funding. Result? In-state students enjoyed a tuition freeze for four consecutive years.
Weighing Quality and Cost
Our definition of value begins with academics: No school is a bargain if it skimps on quality. All of the schools in our rankings perform well on measurable criteria, such as student-faculty ratios, academic competitiveness and on-time graduation rates.
The schools on our list also deliver an affordable education, our other measure of value, by keeping the sticker price low, offering plenty of financial aid or both. Of the colleges in our rankings, 39 charge about the same or less than the average annual in-state sticker price ($15,213) for four-year public institutions, and many come in well below that amount. Those prices look especially attractive compared with the average cost of a private-school education, which this year hit an average total of $35,636, according to the College Board.
You can also find bargains in our rankings for out-of-state students, who typically pay at least twice the price to attend someone else's home-state school. For example, Binghamton charges $26,075 a year to students who are not New York residents -- only one-third more than the in-state price. The school's large number of international students and its dual-degree programs with universities in Mexico, Russia and Turkey give the term out of state new meaning; but Binghamton's strong academics and affordable price attract interest from students across the U.S. as well. Says President Lois DeFleur, "With so many applications, we've become more selective. We're taking the best."
As for financial aid, the colleges on our list have managed to dig deep and dole out sufficient money to keep students coming. At UNC-Chapel Hill, an academic superstar that competes with the Ivies, the annual in-state cost for students with financial need comes to a dirt-cheap $5,912. The University of Virginia, another public Ivy (and number 3 on our list), and the New College of Florida (number 12), a tiny public honors school, charge students with need an average of less than $5,000.
Unlike many top-tier private universities, some of the high-ranked institutions on our list also offer non-need-based aid to encourage top achievers to enroll in-state. "One of our responsibilities as a land-grant institution is to keep the best and the brightest," says Sarah Bauder, director of the office of student financial aid at the University of Maryland. UNC-Chapel Hill, which offers need-based and merit aid to both residents and nonresidents, uses 25 percent of the revenue from logo-bearing T-shirts and sports memorabilia to stoke its merit-scholarship fund. Tar Heel fans keep the money rolling in, says Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid. "Luckily for us, we won a basketball championship in 2009."
UNC -- Still the One
Chapel Hill, a consistent winner of Kiplinger's top honors, maintains its lofty spot in our tables in part for its ability to attract and keep highflying students. Three-fourths or more of its incoming freshmen scored higher than 600 on both the verbal and math portions of their SATs, and almost all -- 96.5 percent -- stay on after freshman year. This year, Chapel Hill fielded more than 23,000 applications and admitted about 7,400, giving it a competitive 32 percent admission rate. Almost 20 percent of the admitted students were the first in their families to attend college.
Besides boasting top students, an outstanding faculty and a historic campus, Chapel Hill enjoys one big advantage over many other public schools: strong state support for financial aid. "Our aid money from the state has grown significantly over the past few years," says Ort. Although funding was trimmed a bit in the current academic year, she says, "we were still in an improved spot over the previous year." That support has enabled UNC to protect its financial-aid budget and to maintain its policy of minimizing or eliminating loans from the financial-aid packages for families with need.
Still, financial-aid applications at Chapel Hill jumped 17 percent this year over last year's number, which rose 13 percent over the previous year. Despite the demand, UNC plans to meet the need of every student who walks through its doors, says Thorp. "We're not going to back away from our traditions in financial aid."
Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Undergraduate Enrollment: 17,895
SAT: 75 percent scored 600 or higher on verbal/math; ACT: 82 percent scored 24 or higher
Student/Faculty Ratio: 14
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 75 percent/88 percent
Total In-State Cost: $15,296
Total Out-of-State Cost: $33,184
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,936
Chapel Hill, a consistent winner of Kiplinger's top honors, maintains its lofty spot in part for its ability to attract and keep highflying students. This year, it fielded more than 23,000 applications and admitted about 7,400, giving it a competitive 32 percent admission rate.
2. University of Florida
Undergraduate Enrollment: 34,654
SAT: 65 percent; ACT: 73 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 20
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 54 percent/81 percent
Total In-State Cost: $12,863
Total Out-of-State Cost: $32,234
Average Debt at Graduation: $15,318
Low annual in-state costs and diverse academic programs are just a few reasons why this school ranks in the top of our list. On campus, students can find cutting-edge research facilities, ten libraries and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (pictured right), home of the Florida Gators.
3. University of Virginia
Undergraduate Enrollment: 15,208
SAT: 78 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 15
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 85 percent/93 percent
Total In-State Cost: $19,312
Total Out-of-State Cost: $41,312
Average Debt at Graduation: $19,016
Considered a public Ivy League school, the University of Virginia doesn't come with a top-tier price tag for in-state students with financial need. It charges them, on average, less than $5,000.
4. College of William and Mary (Va.)
Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,850
SAT: 84 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 11
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 84 percent/92 percent
Total In-State Cost: $20,566
Total Out-of-State Cost: $40,358
Average Debt at Graduation: $12,859
This public school, which is the second oldest college in the U.S., looks and feels like an elite Ivy League institution. It has one of the lowest student-faculty ratios on our list and one the highest percentages of students who scored 600 or higher on the verbal and math SATs.
5. Binghamton University (SUNY)
Undergraduate Enrollment: 11,821
SAT: 66 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 20
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 69 percent/80 percent
Total In-State Cost: $18,175
Total Out-of-State Cost: $26,075
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,541
Binghamton charges $26,075 a year to students who are not New York residents -- only one-third more than the in-state price. The school's large number of international students and its dual-degree programs with universities in Mexico, Russia and Turkey give the term out of state new meaning; but Binghamton's strong academics and affordable price attract interest from students across the U.S. as well.
6. University of Georgia
Undergraduate Enrollment: 25,467
SAT: 58 percent; ACT: 62 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 18
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 51 percent/80 percent
Total In-State Cost: $16,636
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,846
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,343
Most in-state students qualify for the merit-based HOPE scholarship, which covers tuition and mandatory fees -- making the school a great value for Georgia residents. University of Georgia is the nation's first state-chartered university, and recently it opened the world's first stand-alone academic school devoted specifically to the study of ecology. It also is home to Georgia's State Botanical Garden, State Museum of Art and State Museum of Natural History.
7. University of Washington
Undergraduate Enrollment: 29,397
SAT: 48 percent; ACT: 63 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 11
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 51 percent/77 percent
Total In-State Cost: $17,676
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,351
Average Debt at Graduation: $16,800
One of the oldest public universities on the West Coast, this top research institution draws strong students from around the world to its Seattle-based campus, where the 11 to 1 student-faculty ratio gives them plenty of access to professors who include Nobel Prize winners and MacArthur Foundation award recipients.
8. University of Maryland, College Park
Undergraduate Enrollment: 26,431
SAT: 66 percent; ACT: 76 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 18
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 63 percent/82 percent
Total In-State Cost: $18,455
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,392
Average Debt at Graduation: $20,091
University of Maryland, known for its engineering, journalism and computer-science programs, has risen to our top ten by keeping in-state costs virtually unchanged while improving on quality, especially in its graduation rates. Maryland also provides need-based financial aid to 50 percent of its students.
9. SUNY Geneseo
Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,451
SAT: 80 percent; ACT: 87 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 19
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 58 percent/78 percent
Total In-State Cost: $17,176
Total Out-of-State Cost: $25,076
Average Debt at Graduation: $18,700
Like the other State University of New York school on our list (Binghamton), SUNY Geneseo is a bargain for out-of-state students. Out-of-state costs are about $7,000 higher than in-state costs. Many public schools charge non-residents double the amount residents pay.
10. North Carolina State University
Undergraduate Enrollment: 24,741
SAT: 36 percent; ACT: 56 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 16
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 37 percent/70 percent
Total In-State Cost: $14,390
Total Out-of-State Cost: $26,875
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,996
This large university comprises ten colleges in disciplines including textiles, design, agriculture and veterinary medicine. At $14,390, its annual in-state costs are below the average ($15,213) for four-year public institutions and second-lowest in our top ten, after the University of Florida. NC State's relatively low out-of-state sticker price, $26,875, makes it number 9 for out-of-state value.
Click here to see the full list of Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
Jane Bennett Clark
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Despite widespread budget cuts, these schools still deliver strong academics at affordable prices.
The economy may be recovering, but the effects of the recession continue to buffet the nation's public colleges and universities. State governments, coping with shrunken tax revenues and an overwhelming demand for services, have cut funding for higher education. Universities that once relied on the income from fat endowments have yet to recoup multimillion-dollar losses to their portfolios. Families continue to apply for financial aid in record numbers. Meanwhile, enrollment at state institutions has spiked as more students go public and more people overall seek college degrees.
The schools in our top 100 best values in public colleges and universities -- led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for overall value and by Binghamton University (SUNY) for out-of-state value -- continue to deliver strong academics at reasonable prices, in many cases by offering the same or more financial aid as in previous years. But no one can say that it has been easy.
To cope with less money and more students, public institutions, including many in our rankings, have slashed operating costs and raised tuition beyond the average increase of about five percentage points over inflation in recent years. The University of California system, caught in the downdraft of a state budget meltdown, imposed a midyear tuition hike of 15 percent, to be followed by another 15 percent increase in the summer, precipitating statewide protests. (Our rankings reflect tuition and fees, including midyear increases, as of December 1, 2009.)
With neither state nor college budgets able to turn on a dime, the immediate future for public higher education looks "difficult, challenging and messy," says Daniel Hurley, of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Your student could end up in bigger classes with more part-time instructors -- or worse yet, get shut out of a public college altogether as states limit enrollment to control costs.
In the best-case scenario, however, colleges will find more and better ways to preserve quality and eliminate fat, perhaps ultimately reducing the size or frequency of tuition increases. Some universities, including UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Maryland at College Park (number 8 in our rankings), are already doing just that. "There's no reason we can't conduct nonacademic functions as efficiently as possible," says UNC chancellor Holden Thorp.
Last year, Thorp hired consultants Bain & Co. to help streamline operations, enabling the university to pare 10 percent in administrative expenses in anticipation of a state reduction in funding. "We insisted that the cuts be as far away from the classroom as we could get them," says Thorp. In Maryland, the university system struck a bargain with state leaders in which school administrators pledged to cut costs in exchange for a steady flow of state funding. Result? In-state students enjoyed a tuition freeze for four consecutive years.
Weighing Quality and Cost
Our definition of value begins with academics: No school is a bargain if it skimps on quality. All of the schools in our rankings perform well on measurable criteria, such as student-faculty ratios, academic competitiveness and on-time graduation rates.
The schools on our list also deliver an affordable education, our other measure of value, by keeping the sticker price low, offering plenty of financial aid or both. Of the colleges in our rankings, 39 charge about the same or less than the average annual in-state sticker price ($15,213) for four-year public institutions, and many come in well below that amount. Those prices look especially attractive compared with the average cost of a private-school education, which this year hit an average total of $35,636, according to the College Board.
You can also find bargains in our rankings for out-of-state students, who typically pay at least twice the price to attend someone else's home-state school. For example, Binghamton charges $26,075 a year to students who are not New York residents -- only one-third more than the in-state price. The school's large number of international students and its dual-degree programs with universities in Mexico, Russia and Turkey give the term out of state new meaning; but Binghamton's strong academics and affordable price attract interest from students across the U.S. as well. Says President Lois DeFleur, "With so many applications, we've become more selective. We're taking the best."
As for financial aid, the colleges on our list have managed to dig deep and dole out sufficient money to keep students coming. At UNC-Chapel Hill, an academic superstar that competes with the Ivies, the annual in-state cost for students with financial need comes to a dirt-cheap $5,912. The University of Virginia, another public Ivy (and number 3 on our list), and the New College of Florida (number 12), a tiny public honors school, charge students with need an average of less than $5,000.
Unlike many top-tier private universities, some of the high-ranked institutions on our list also offer non-need-based aid to encourage top achievers to enroll in-state. "One of our responsibilities as a land-grant institution is to keep the best and the brightest," says Sarah Bauder, director of the office of student financial aid at the University of Maryland. UNC-Chapel Hill, which offers need-based and merit aid to both residents and nonresidents, uses 25 percent of the revenue from logo-bearing T-shirts and sports memorabilia to stoke its merit-scholarship fund. Tar Heel fans keep the money rolling in, says Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid. "Luckily for us, we won a basketball championship in 2009."
UNC -- Still the One
Chapel Hill, a consistent winner of Kiplinger's top honors, maintains its lofty spot in our tables in part for its ability to attract and keep highflying students. Three-fourths or more of its incoming freshmen scored higher than 600 on both the verbal and math portions of their SATs, and almost all -- 96.5 percent -- stay on after freshman year. This year, Chapel Hill fielded more than 23,000 applications and admitted about 7,400, giving it a competitive 32 percent admission rate. Almost 20 percent of the admitted students were the first in their families to attend college.
Besides boasting top students, an outstanding faculty and a historic campus, Chapel Hill enjoys one big advantage over many other public schools: strong state support for financial aid. "Our aid money from the state has grown significantly over the past few years," says Ort. Although funding was trimmed a bit in the current academic year, she says, "we were still in an improved spot over the previous year." That support has enabled UNC to protect its financial-aid budget and to maintain its policy of minimizing or eliminating loans from the financial-aid packages for families with need.
Still, financial-aid applications at Chapel Hill jumped 17 percent this year over last year's number, which rose 13 percent over the previous year. Despite the demand, UNC plans to meet the need of every student who walks through its doors, says Thorp. "We're not going to back away from our traditions in financial aid."
Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Undergraduate Enrollment: 17,895
SAT: 75 percent scored 600 or higher on verbal/math; ACT: 82 percent scored 24 or higher
Student/Faculty Ratio: 14
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 75 percent/88 percent
Total In-State Cost: $15,296
Total Out-of-State Cost: $33,184
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,936
Chapel Hill, a consistent winner of Kiplinger's top honors, maintains its lofty spot in part for its ability to attract and keep highflying students. This year, it fielded more than 23,000 applications and admitted about 7,400, giving it a competitive 32 percent admission rate.
2. University of Florida
Undergraduate Enrollment: 34,654
SAT: 65 percent; ACT: 73 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 20
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 54 percent/81 percent
Total In-State Cost: $12,863
Total Out-of-State Cost: $32,234
Average Debt at Graduation: $15,318
Low annual in-state costs and diverse academic programs are just a few reasons why this school ranks in the top of our list. On campus, students can find cutting-edge research facilities, ten libraries and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (pictured right), home of the Florida Gators.
3. University of Virginia
Undergraduate Enrollment: 15,208
SAT: 78 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 15
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 85 percent/93 percent
Total In-State Cost: $19,312
Total Out-of-State Cost: $41,312
Average Debt at Graduation: $19,016
Considered a public Ivy League school, the University of Virginia doesn't come with a top-tier price tag for in-state students with financial need. It charges them, on average, less than $5,000.
4. College of William and Mary (Va.)
Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,850
SAT: 84 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 11
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 84 percent/92 percent
Total In-State Cost: $20,566
Total Out-of-State Cost: $40,358
Average Debt at Graduation: $12,859
This public school, which is the second oldest college in the U.S., looks and feels like an elite Ivy League institution. It has one of the lowest student-faculty ratios on our list and one the highest percentages of students who scored 600 or higher on the verbal and math SATs.
5. Binghamton University (SUNY)
Undergraduate Enrollment: 11,821
SAT: 66 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 20
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 69 percent/80 percent
Total In-State Cost: $18,175
Total Out-of-State Cost: $26,075
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,541
Binghamton charges $26,075 a year to students who are not New York residents -- only one-third more than the in-state price. The school's large number of international students and its dual-degree programs with universities in Mexico, Russia and Turkey give the term out of state new meaning; but Binghamton's strong academics and affordable price attract interest from students across the U.S. as well.
6. University of Georgia
Undergraduate Enrollment: 25,467
SAT: 58 percent; ACT: 62 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 18
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 51 percent/80 percent
Total In-State Cost: $16,636
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,846
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,343
Most in-state students qualify for the merit-based HOPE scholarship, which covers tuition and mandatory fees -- making the school a great value for Georgia residents. University of Georgia is the nation's first state-chartered university, and recently it opened the world's first stand-alone academic school devoted specifically to the study of ecology. It also is home to Georgia's State Botanical Garden, State Museum of Art and State Museum of Natural History.
7. University of Washington
Undergraduate Enrollment: 29,397
SAT: 48 percent; ACT: 63 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 11
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 51 percent/77 percent
Total In-State Cost: $17,676
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,351
Average Debt at Graduation: $16,800
One of the oldest public universities on the West Coast, this top research institution draws strong students from around the world to its Seattle-based campus, where the 11 to 1 student-faculty ratio gives them plenty of access to professors who include Nobel Prize winners and MacArthur Foundation award recipients.
8. University of Maryland, College Park
Undergraduate Enrollment: 26,431
SAT: 66 percent; ACT: 76 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 18
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 63 percent/82 percent
Total In-State Cost: $18,455
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,392
Average Debt at Graduation: $20,091
University of Maryland, known for its engineering, journalism and computer-science programs, has risen to our top ten by keeping in-state costs virtually unchanged while improving on quality, especially in its graduation rates. Maryland also provides need-based financial aid to 50 percent of its students.
9. SUNY Geneseo
Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,451
SAT: 80 percent; ACT: 87 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 19
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 58 percent/78 percent
Total In-State Cost: $17,176
Total Out-of-State Cost: $25,076
Average Debt at Graduation: $18,700
Like the other State University of New York school on our list (Binghamton), SUNY Geneseo is a bargain for out-of-state students. Out-of-state costs are about $7,000 higher than in-state costs. Many public schools charge non-residents double the amount residents pay.
10. North Carolina State University
Undergraduate Enrollment: 24,741
SAT: 36 percent; ACT: 56 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 16
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 37 percent/70 percent
Total In-State Cost: $14,390
Total Out-of-State Cost: $26,875
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,996
This large university comprises ten colleges in disciplines including textiles, design, agriculture and veterinary medicine. At $14,390, its annual in-state costs are below the average ($15,213) for four-year public institutions and second-lowest in our top ten, after the University of Florida. NC State's relatively low out-of-state sticker price, $26,875, makes it number 9 for out-of-state value.
Click here to see the full list of Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
Please trust me
Saturday December 12, 2009
Please trust me
Science of Building Leaders by ROSHAN THIRAN
Effective leaders build trust across their organisations.
A FEW months ago, Audrey, our youth camp leader, was faced with a dilemma. A campsite vendor had under-charged her for a recent camp. At the same time, she was under tremendous pressure to make ends meet for the camp.
What did she do? She informed the vendor of the mistake. The vendor was pleasantly surprised and soon a strong bond of trust developed. I was extremely proud of Audrey’s action as she’s a great role model for our kids. With this small act, trust was enabled, resulting in lower prices and flexible arrangements at future camps.
Trust relationships are vital to the success of business. Trust is under-rated in most businesses and taken for granted by many. We follow leaders because we trust them and believe they will take us to greater heights. When we interview, we tend to hire people we trust. We use products only if we trust it. And the best companies in the world use trust to grow their businesses. Rock band Radiohead released its last album online, trusting fans to decide the price for the album, and generated more revenue than all its previous releases.
Research by the Institute of Business Ethics found that companies displaying a “clear commitment to ethical conduct” almost invariably outperformed companies that did not display integrity and trust. Its director, Philippa Black, concludes that trust and integrity has been proven to pay off in financial returns for companies.
Trust is essential to building enduring connections with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities in which we do business.
A recent study showed that trust is significantly related to sales, profits, and turnover and is a source of competitive advantage. The study also concluded that “the ability of a general manager to earn higher trust from his or her employees likely creates a competitive advantage for a firm over its rivals”.
We see numerous examples of how trust drives productivity. Years ago, Ford, who had more than 500 employees working in their accounts payable department decided to benchmark against Mazda, another car manufacturer.
To their surprise, Ford found that Mazda had only five employees in payables. Yes, you read that right – FIVE. Ford had 500 vs Mazda’s five. How did Mazda do it? The answer – you guessed it – is TRUST!
In Ford, the account payables folks had to match the purchase order, receiving reports and supplier invoices. If there was a mismatch, there was significant rework. In Mazda, there was no paperwork at all. Mazda trusted its suppliers and did not bother processing invoices. When goods arrived from suppliers, Mazda built their cars. Once a car was built, they automatically transferred funds to the suppliers. Mazda had no invoicing or processing, but paid with trust, saving significant costs.
Trust is a key element in business, as it is in relationships and politics. In fact, trust actually lowers the risk of malpractice among US doctors. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Blink, uncovers that “the risk of being sued for malpractice has very little to do with how many mistakes a doctor makes. Analyses of malpractice lawsuits show that there are highly skilled doctors who get sued a lot and doctors who make lots of mistakes and never get sued.”
Apparently, people only sue doctors they don’t like or trust. They don’t sue doctors with errors whom they trust or like. In fact, in some hospitals today, doctors are encouraged to apologise when they make mistakes, trusting patients to forgive them. And statistics have shown that in such hospitals, malpractice suits have dwindled.
On the flip side, lack of trust destroys entire industries as the world’s recent financial markets collapse attest. Credit stopped flowing due to trust issues. Big banks refused to lend to each other because they didn’t trust each other’s ability to repay.
Trust is like a vase; once it is broken, even if you fix it, the vase will never be the same again.
So, even if you have the best products in the world, if you lose trust in your service or product, you will soon not have a business. Numerous companies try to create trust by PR stunts and building corporate social responsibility arms, but fail to understand that trust is not an event-based action. It takes years to build up trust, and seconds to destroy it.
If trust is so important, what precisely is trust? How can it be achieved and sustained?
According to Dr Duane Tway, “We all think we know what trust is from our own experience, but we don’t know much about how to improve it. Why? I believe it is because we have been taught to look at trust as if it were a single entity.”
Dr Tway is right. Trust is not a single act. Aristotle, the great philosopher best described trust in his Rhetoric. He suggested that trust, which he called Ethos (the trust of a speaker to a listener), had three parts. First was the intelligence of the speaker (correctness of opinions, or competence), secondly the character of the speaker (reliability, integrity), and finally, the goodwill of the speaker (favourable intentions towards the listener).
In layman’s term, leaders and managers today need to build trust by the integrity of their competence, the integrity of their character and finally their sincerity towards their employees.
In other words, a leader cannot fake town halls meetings and occasional roundtables with employees and expect them to trust his or her leadership. Trust has to be earned. Having a title doesn’t guarantee you the trust of your subordinates. Trust is built on a daily basis. It is the employees’ perceptions of your ability, honesty, and sincerity.
But how do we begin this process of building trust? I personally believe the best way to build trust is to extend it to others. I know a Ramly burger stall owner who decided to allow his customers take their own change from coins he left out on the counter. He was able to serve them faster, but more importantly, his customers hardly cheated him because they felt honoured to be trusted by him. Trust begets trust.
Netflix, the world’s top DVD rental company, trusts its employees to take whatever vacation they feel they need. Many companies trust their employees to have “flexi” working hours, and research has shown that in most cases these employees work longer hours than those that do not adopt “flexi” hours.
Finally, trust begins when a leader role models the qualities of trust and filters it down throughout the company. This drives others to follow suit and soon a culture of trust emanates across the entire organisation. Trust is a powerful tool as it forms the foundation for effective communication, employee retention, motivation, and contribution of discretionary energy – the extra effort that people voluntarily invest in work.
Yes, you can still get things done without trust when you are the boss by ordering people to do things. But you run the risk of getting the salute and not the heart, gaining compliance and not the commitment. Trust has to be earned. And when you get it, the rewards that come from it, makes you a leader on a different platform. As George McDonald puts it, “to be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved”.
•Roshan Thiran is CEO of Leaderonomics, a social enterprise passionate about transforming the nation. Join the Leaderonomics journey via Facebook, Twitter or by logging on to www.leaderonomics.com. And if you have just completed your SPM, sign up for the Diode School Leaver’s camp at www.diodecamp.com.
Please trust me
Science of Building Leaders by ROSHAN THIRAN
Effective leaders build trust across their organisations.
A FEW months ago, Audrey, our youth camp leader, was faced with a dilemma. A campsite vendor had under-charged her for a recent camp. At the same time, she was under tremendous pressure to make ends meet for the camp.
What did she do? She informed the vendor of the mistake. The vendor was pleasantly surprised and soon a strong bond of trust developed. I was extremely proud of Audrey’s action as she’s a great role model for our kids. With this small act, trust was enabled, resulting in lower prices and flexible arrangements at future camps.
Trust relationships are vital to the success of business. Trust is under-rated in most businesses and taken for granted by many. We follow leaders because we trust them and believe they will take us to greater heights. When we interview, we tend to hire people we trust. We use products only if we trust it. And the best companies in the world use trust to grow their businesses. Rock band Radiohead released its last album online, trusting fans to decide the price for the album, and generated more revenue than all its previous releases.
Research by the Institute of Business Ethics found that companies displaying a “clear commitment to ethical conduct” almost invariably outperformed companies that did not display integrity and trust. Its director, Philippa Black, concludes that trust and integrity has been proven to pay off in financial returns for companies.
Trust is essential to building enduring connections with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities in which we do business.
A recent study showed that trust is significantly related to sales, profits, and turnover and is a source of competitive advantage. The study also concluded that “the ability of a general manager to earn higher trust from his or her employees likely creates a competitive advantage for a firm over its rivals”.
We see numerous examples of how trust drives productivity. Years ago, Ford, who had more than 500 employees working in their accounts payable department decided to benchmark against Mazda, another car manufacturer.
To their surprise, Ford found that Mazda had only five employees in payables. Yes, you read that right – FIVE. Ford had 500 vs Mazda’s five. How did Mazda do it? The answer – you guessed it – is TRUST!
In Ford, the account payables folks had to match the purchase order, receiving reports and supplier invoices. If there was a mismatch, there was significant rework. In Mazda, there was no paperwork at all. Mazda trusted its suppliers and did not bother processing invoices. When goods arrived from suppliers, Mazda built their cars. Once a car was built, they automatically transferred funds to the suppliers. Mazda had no invoicing or processing, but paid with trust, saving significant costs.
Trust is a key element in business, as it is in relationships and politics. In fact, trust actually lowers the risk of malpractice among US doctors. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Blink, uncovers that “the risk of being sued for malpractice has very little to do with how many mistakes a doctor makes. Analyses of malpractice lawsuits show that there are highly skilled doctors who get sued a lot and doctors who make lots of mistakes and never get sued.”
Apparently, people only sue doctors they don’t like or trust. They don’t sue doctors with errors whom they trust or like. In fact, in some hospitals today, doctors are encouraged to apologise when they make mistakes, trusting patients to forgive them. And statistics have shown that in such hospitals, malpractice suits have dwindled.
On the flip side, lack of trust destroys entire industries as the world’s recent financial markets collapse attest. Credit stopped flowing due to trust issues. Big banks refused to lend to each other because they didn’t trust each other’s ability to repay.
Trust is like a vase; once it is broken, even if you fix it, the vase will never be the same again.
So, even if you have the best products in the world, if you lose trust in your service or product, you will soon not have a business. Numerous companies try to create trust by PR stunts and building corporate social responsibility arms, but fail to understand that trust is not an event-based action. It takes years to build up trust, and seconds to destroy it.
If trust is so important, what precisely is trust? How can it be achieved and sustained?
According to Dr Duane Tway, “We all think we know what trust is from our own experience, but we don’t know much about how to improve it. Why? I believe it is because we have been taught to look at trust as if it were a single entity.”
Dr Tway is right. Trust is not a single act. Aristotle, the great philosopher best described trust in his Rhetoric. He suggested that trust, which he called Ethos (the trust of a speaker to a listener), had three parts. First was the intelligence of the speaker (correctness of opinions, or competence), secondly the character of the speaker (reliability, integrity), and finally, the goodwill of the speaker (favourable intentions towards the listener).
In layman’s term, leaders and managers today need to build trust by the integrity of their competence, the integrity of their character and finally their sincerity towards their employees.
In other words, a leader cannot fake town halls meetings and occasional roundtables with employees and expect them to trust his or her leadership. Trust has to be earned. Having a title doesn’t guarantee you the trust of your subordinates. Trust is built on a daily basis. It is the employees’ perceptions of your ability, honesty, and sincerity.
But how do we begin this process of building trust? I personally believe the best way to build trust is to extend it to others. I know a Ramly burger stall owner who decided to allow his customers take their own change from coins he left out on the counter. He was able to serve them faster, but more importantly, his customers hardly cheated him because they felt honoured to be trusted by him. Trust begets trust.
Netflix, the world’s top DVD rental company, trusts its employees to take whatever vacation they feel they need. Many companies trust their employees to have “flexi” working hours, and research has shown that in most cases these employees work longer hours than those that do not adopt “flexi” hours.
Finally, trust begins when a leader role models the qualities of trust and filters it down throughout the company. This drives others to follow suit and soon a culture of trust emanates across the entire organisation. Trust is a powerful tool as it forms the foundation for effective communication, employee retention, motivation, and contribution of discretionary energy – the extra effort that people voluntarily invest in work.
Yes, you can still get things done without trust when you are the boss by ordering people to do things. But you run the risk of getting the salute and not the heart, gaining compliance and not the commitment. Trust has to be earned. And when you get it, the rewards that come from it, makes you a leader on a different platform. As George McDonald puts it, “to be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved”.
•Roshan Thiran is CEO of Leaderonomics, a social enterprise passionate about transforming the nation. Join the Leaderonomics journey via Facebook, Twitter or by logging on to www.leaderonomics.com. And if you have just completed your SPM, sign up for the Diode School Leaver’s camp at www.diodecamp.com.
Business ethics in board decisions
Friday January 22, 2010
Business ethics in board decisions
Whose Business Is It Anyway - By John Zenkin
THE concept of business ethics recognises that people in a company can relate to more than just profit maximisation when making decisions, even if it is not very clear how they should behave.
This lack of clarity comes from the fact that each person, let alone each culture, has their own unique way of combining the individual virtues that make up ethical behaviour.
Thus there may be many ways of being ethical and sometimes boards need to combine them to get to good and right decisions.
These different types can be grouped into five systems of ethical behaviour: Machiavellian, Utilitarian, Kantian rules-based, Rousseau’s social contract, and finally “Personalistic” ethics.
l Machiavellian ethics
These are pragmatic, weighing probable consequences and the likelihood of achieving given outcomes, often regardless of how the ends have been achieved. People practising this type of ethics will argue that the ends justify the means.
The merit of this system is that at least any decision being taken can be assessed in terms of whether it will achieve the desired ends; and if it fails this basic test, then it should not be taken.
However, there are two problems with this approach. First, it does not recognise that organisations need codes of conduct and rules to help people to make predictable and consistent decisions.
Second, it can lead to a failure of “Tone at the Top” with people encouraged to “do whatever it takes” – the kind of thinking that contributed to the recent failures of governance in Wall Street that have hurt us all so badly.
•Utilitarian Ethics
These are a more moral extension of Machiavellian ethics, where the outcomes are weighed up by calculating how to “achieve the greatest good for the greatest number” for both the company and its customers. Principles are important only as rules of thumb.
The problem with this type of approach is that it encourages the tyranny of the majority and can lead to ignoring the needs of minorities and so be used to justify persecuting minority shareholders, which is poor governance.
•Kantian rules-based ethics
Rules-based ethics (associated with the German philosopher Immanuel Kant) go one step further in that they also consider the effect actions have on the rules of the organisation and whether they adhere to given principles.
This approach tends to be bureaucratic and perhaps overly legalistic, sometimes with a rigid adherence to the rules without due regard for particular circumstances that may justify exceptions.
Of course, the problem is that if there are too many exceptions or waivers, the rules themselves and the system they represent are discredited; outcomes become unpredictable; and corruption and free riding are encouraged.
•Rousseau’s social contract ethics
Social contract ethics recognise the need for mutuality and reciprocity if companies are to flourish: both within the organisation itself, where “Do unto others as you would be done by” is as good a rule as any for behaviour, and between the company and the community it serves.
They also recognise that no company is an island and it must therefore behave responsibly towards the community, minimising the external costs the company creates, lest it create a “tragedy of the commons” with its associated risk of systemic failure.
The problem with this type of approach is when it leads to the kind of loyalist, tribal thinking within a profession so that bad practices are covered up and justified in the name of loyalty to the group (a favourite topic of films with rogue cops who are protected from Internal Affairs for example).
•Personalistic ethics
Personalistic ethics reflect what an individual feels about the decisions being taken. As such they often share the following three characteristics:
First, they are driven by the individual’s personal sense of virtue and how the decision will reflect on the person’s character and sense of self-worth;
Second, they may be based on empathy where the decision maker puts himself/herself in the shoes of the other person when deciding what to do;
Third, they may be based on intuition driven by conscience – asking the question “will I be able to sleep at nights” when making a decision.
Obviously it is important that board members must be personally comfortable with the decisions they are involved with.
The problem is that often people who decide on Personalistic ethical grounds become impatient with other people calculating what to do using either a rules-based or utilitarian approach, and may be uncomfortable with Machiavellian thinking.
To cover these five ethical approaches, boards should ask the following questions:
1. Will it achieve the desired outcome?
2. Will it be for the greatest good?
3. Will it respect the rules?
4. Will it be responsible?
5. Will we be able to sleep at night?
If the answer to all five questions is affirmative, they will have made a right-good decision.
•The writer is CEO of Securities Industry Development Corp, the training and development arm of the Securities Commission.
Business ethics in board decisions
Whose Business Is It Anyway - By John Zenkin
THE concept of business ethics recognises that people in a company can relate to more than just profit maximisation when making decisions, even if it is not very clear how they should behave.
This lack of clarity comes from the fact that each person, let alone each culture, has their own unique way of combining the individual virtues that make up ethical behaviour.
Thus there may be many ways of being ethical and sometimes boards need to combine them to get to good and right decisions.
These different types can be grouped into five systems of ethical behaviour: Machiavellian, Utilitarian, Kantian rules-based, Rousseau’s social contract, and finally “Personalistic” ethics.
l Machiavellian ethics
These are pragmatic, weighing probable consequences and the likelihood of achieving given outcomes, often regardless of how the ends have been achieved. People practising this type of ethics will argue that the ends justify the means.
The merit of this system is that at least any decision being taken can be assessed in terms of whether it will achieve the desired ends; and if it fails this basic test, then it should not be taken.
However, there are two problems with this approach. First, it does not recognise that organisations need codes of conduct and rules to help people to make predictable and consistent decisions.
Second, it can lead to a failure of “Tone at the Top” with people encouraged to “do whatever it takes” – the kind of thinking that contributed to the recent failures of governance in Wall Street that have hurt us all so badly.
•Utilitarian Ethics
These are a more moral extension of Machiavellian ethics, where the outcomes are weighed up by calculating how to “achieve the greatest good for the greatest number” for both the company and its customers. Principles are important only as rules of thumb.
The problem with this type of approach is that it encourages the tyranny of the majority and can lead to ignoring the needs of minorities and so be used to justify persecuting minority shareholders, which is poor governance.
•Kantian rules-based ethics
Rules-based ethics (associated with the German philosopher Immanuel Kant) go one step further in that they also consider the effect actions have on the rules of the organisation and whether they adhere to given principles.
This approach tends to be bureaucratic and perhaps overly legalistic, sometimes with a rigid adherence to the rules without due regard for particular circumstances that may justify exceptions.
Of course, the problem is that if there are too many exceptions or waivers, the rules themselves and the system they represent are discredited; outcomes become unpredictable; and corruption and free riding are encouraged.
•Rousseau’s social contract ethics
Social contract ethics recognise the need for mutuality and reciprocity if companies are to flourish: both within the organisation itself, where “Do unto others as you would be done by” is as good a rule as any for behaviour, and between the company and the community it serves.
They also recognise that no company is an island and it must therefore behave responsibly towards the community, minimising the external costs the company creates, lest it create a “tragedy of the commons” with its associated risk of systemic failure.
The problem with this type of approach is when it leads to the kind of loyalist, tribal thinking within a profession so that bad practices are covered up and justified in the name of loyalty to the group (a favourite topic of films with rogue cops who are protected from Internal Affairs for example).
•Personalistic ethics
Personalistic ethics reflect what an individual feels about the decisions being taken. As such they often share the following three characteristics:
First, they are driven by the individual’s personal sense of virtue and how the decision will reflect on the person’s character and sense of self-worth;
Second, they may be based on empathy where the decision maker puts himself/herself in the shoes of the other person when deciding what to do;
Third, they may be based on intuition driven by conscience – asking the question “will I be able to sleep at nights” when making a decision.
Obviously it is important that board members must be personally comfortable with the decisions they are involved with.
The problem is that often people who decide on Personalistic ethical grounds become impatient with other people calculating what to do using either a rules-based or utilitarian approach, and may be uncomfortable with Machiavellian thinking.
To cover these five ethical approaches, boards should ask the following questions:
1. Will it achieve the desired outcome?
2. Will it be for the greatest good?
3. Will it respect the rules?
4. Will it be responsible?
5. Will we be able to sleep at night?
If the answer to all five questions is affirmative, they will have made a right-good decision.
•The writer is CEO of Securities Industry Development Corp, the training and development arm of the Securities Commission.
Follow the US style to determine petrol prices
Wednesday January 20, 2010
Follow the US style to determine petrol prices
IT is good that the public is having discussions on the GST, subsidised goods, missing foreigners, petrol pricing and the use of MyKad to assist in differentiating between the subsidised and unsubsidised petrol user.
I am a bit pessimistic with regard to most of the current inflation-related issues. I am worried about the flip-flop repercussions of any decision. We have seen government decisions made and later there is a change of mind due to public empathy.
I would like to offer a proposal on petrol pricing. I am sure many Malaysians understand the disadvantages of a subsidy mentality in the economic sense. As we are going into a high income economy, subsidising essentials must be kept to a minimum and the saved resources should be allocated to new economic spending areas, such as in R&D, biomedicine, branding, etc.
Let us take, for example, how petrol prices are charged at the pump in the United States. In states that are producing oil, such as Texas, petrol prices are the cheapest while prices in the states that are furthest from the refineries are the highest. I am not sure how the MyKad can assist in this exercise.
I feel that states such as Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang and Johor should not have any subsidies at all. The standard of living in these states is higher compared to that of Kelantan or Perlis.
Maybe users in those states where the per capita income is lower should pay RM1.80 per litre while those in states with higher capital income should pay RM2.10 per litre. This would better improve the distribution of resources.
Even with the current pricing and the use of the MyKad, it won’t be fair and it won’t stop the pilferage. Let’s give this a try. There won’t be any incentive for Singaporeans to drive all the way to Malacca just to get cheaper petrol and driving back to Singapore.
As for those in Kelantan and Perlis, issues such as smuggling will still happen regardless of monthly rationing or with the MyKad.
RAS,
Kuala Lumpur.
Follow the US style to determine petrol prices
IT is good that the public is having discussions on the GST, subsidised goods, missing foreigners, petrol pricing and the use of MyKad to assist in differentiating between the subsidised and unsubsidised petrol user.
I am a bit pessimistic with regard to most of the current inflation-related issues. I am worried about the flip-flop repercussions of any decision. We have seen government decisions made and later there is a change of mind due to public empathy.
I would like to offer a proposal on petrol pricing. I am sure many Malaysians understand the disadvantages of a subsidy mentality in the economic sense. As we are going into a high income economy, subsidising essentials must be kept to a minimum and the saved resources should be allocated to new economic spending areas, such as in R&D, biomedicine, branding, etc.
Let us take, for example, how petrol prices are charged at the pump in the United States. In states that are producing oil, such as Texas, petrol prices are the cheapest while prices in the states that are furthest from the refineries are the highest. I am not sure how the MyKad can assist in this exercise.
I feel that states such as Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang and Johor should not have any subsidies at all. The standard of living in these states is higher compared to that of Kelantan or Perlis.
Maybe users in those states where the per capita income is lower should pay RM1.80 per litre while those in states with higher capital income should pay RM2.10 per litre. This would better improve the distribution of resources.
Even with the current pricing and the use of the MyKad, it won’t be fair and it won’t stop the pilferage. Let’s give this a try. There won’t be any incentive for Singaporeans to drive all the way to Malacca just to get cheaper petrol and driving back to Singapore.
As for those in Kelantan and Perlis, issues such as smuggling will still happen regardless of monthly rationing or with the MyKad.
RAS,
Kuala Lumpur.
GST
Dear editor,
Appreciate if you can publish this proposal
It’s good that the public are having discussion on GST, subsidized goods, the missing foreigners, the petrol pricing and the use of MyKad to assist in differentiating between the subsidized / unsubsidized user.
Actually, I’m a bit pessimistic in most of the current inflation related issues. I’m worried of the flip flop repercussion of any decision. As in the past we hv seen, government decision made and later we saw the change of mind of such critical decision due to public empathy. I would like to propose on petrol pricing for one. I’m sure many Malaysian understand the disadvantages of subsidized mentality in the economic sense. As we are going into a high income economy, subsidizing of essentials must be kept to a minimum and these saved resources should be allocated to this new economic spending area such as in R&D, biomedicine, branding etc... Lets take for example how in the USA, petrol prices are charged at the pump? States that are producing oil such as in Texas, the prices are cheapest. And states that are further from the refineries are the most expensive.
I’m not sure how MyKad can assist in these prices? As you know, states such as wilayah, selangor, Penang n Johor should not hv any subsidies at all. Their cost of living is higher compared to Kelantan or Perils. Maybe all of the users pay the minimum at RM1.80 / liter for low income per capita states. And those state with higher capital income, all the road users pay at a maximum of RM2.10 / liter. This would better improve the current distribution of capital resources. Even with the current pricing and MyKad usage, I doubt it will be fair and stop pilferages? Let’s, give this formula a try. There won’t be any incentives for Singaporean to travel all the way to Melaka just to get a cheaper petrol price for by the time they travel back to Singapore their petrol tanks are back to square one. And for those users in kelantan and perlis, issues such as smuggling to the border will still happen irregardless of monthly rationing or with MyKad. Beside this formula, the normal enforcement processes should be seen to take place.
Ras
Setiawangsa
Appreciate if you can publish this proposal
It’s good that the public are having discussion on GST, subsidized goods, the missing foreigners, the petrol pricing and the use of MyKad to assist in differentiating between the subsidized / unsubsidized user.
Actually, I’m a bit pessimistic in most of the current inflation related issues. I’m worried of the flip flop repercussion of any decision. As in the past we hv seen, government decision made and later we saw the change of mind of such critical decision due to public empathy. I would like to propose on petrol pricing for one. I’m sure many Malaysian understand the disadvantages of subsidized mentality in the economic sense. As we are going into a high income economy, subsidizing of essentials must be kept to a minimum and these saved resources should be allocated to this new economic spending area such as in R&D, biomedicine, branding etc... Lets take for example how in the USA, petrol prices are charged at the pump? States that are producing oil such as in Texas, the prices are cheapest. And states that are further from the refineries are the most expensive.
I’m not sure how MyKad can assist in these prices? As you know, states such as wilayah, selangor, Penang n Johor should not hv any subsidies at all. Their cost of living is higher compared to Kelantan or Perils. Maybe all of the users pay the minimum at RM1.80 / liter for low income per capita states. And those state with higher capital income, all the road users pay at a maximum of RM2.10 / liter. This would better improve the current distribution of capital resources. Even with the current pricing and MyKad usage, I doubt it will be fair and stop pilferages? Let’s, give this formula a try. There won’t be any incentives for Singaporean to travel all the way to Melaka just to get a cheaper petrol price for by the time they travel back to Singapore their petrol tanks are back to square one. And for those users in kelantan and perlis, issues such as smuggling to the border will still happen irregardless of monthly rationing or with MyKad. Beside this formula, the normal enforcement processes should be seen to take place.
Ras
Setiawangsa
Poverty is not to be inherited
Sunday January 10, 2010
Poverty is not to be inherited
At Your Service
By DATUK SHUKRY MOHD SALLEH
Malaysia believes in providing balanced development to all citizens. This is to maintain social harmony and political stability. Only then can the economic fundamentals be attained and growth with balanced distribution achieved.
Malaysia is way ahead in meeting the target of the Millennium Development Goals to halve poverty incidence.
Under the economic stimulus packages (PRE I and PRE II), priority was given to people-centric programmes. Elements for assistance for the most affected groups are made easily accessible, such as funds and licences to start new ventures into business.
For the past three and a half decades, poverty rates have declined dramatically.
Since the 1970s, Malaysia has reduced the poverty of nearly half the population (49.6%). The incidence of poverty declined from 5.7% in 2004 to 3.6% in 2007. The incidence of urban poverty decreased from 2.5% in 2004 to 2.0% in 2007 while in rural areas, it declined from 11.9% to 7.1%.
The target of the 9th Malaysia Plan (2006-2010) is to further reduce the incidence of poverty to 2.8% by 2010 and totally eradicate hardcore poor families.
The number of poor households dropped from 311,300 to 209,000 (33%) during the corresponding period. The decline was due to both positive growth and the implementation of various poverty eradication programmes.
Urban household incomes increased at 3.3% per annum from RM3,956 in 2004 to RM4,356 in 2007 while the corresponding rural household income increased at 6.8% from RM1,875 to RM2,283.
Mean household income has increased from RM3,249/month in 2004 to RM3,686/month in 2007, registering an average annual growth of 4.3%.
The higher growth rate of income among rural households was mainly due to better commodity prices, particularly rubber and palm oil.
Malaysia has conducted a census and registered poor households and developed a common user data bank on poverty called eKasih.
The Implementation Coor¬dination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister’s Department coordinates all inter-Ministry and agency poverty eradication programmes.
eKasih provides standard and uniform interpretation of Poverty Line Income (PLI) and profiling of poor families.
The thrust of poverty eradication strategies focuses on eradicating hardcore poverty and sustaining them with social safety net programmes.
In addressing these issues, groups are categorised into two strata – urban and rural.
Common PLI with the number of members of household, age groups and gender will determine the per capita poverty line income within different strata were developed and applied.
Each and every member of a household has their own per capita income based on age, gender and special nutrient requirement based on calory intake to sustain a healthy and productive life.
People’s Housing Programme (PPR) run by the Ministry of Housing and Local Authorities (KPKT) rents houses to target groups for a monthly rental of RM124.00.
Housing programmes are undertaken by both the public and private sectors.
The private sector is encouraged to build more low and low-medium-cost houses in their mixed-development projects while the public sector concentrates on building low-cost houses in urban and rural areas. Focus is also given to building more low-cost units for lower income groups.
Housing Assistance Programme (PBR) is also provided to the poor in rural areas mainly by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKLW).
In 2006, 2,136 hardcore poor households in rural areas were provided home reconstruction assistance, which benefited 10,680 household members.
In 2007, housing assistance was provided to 1,942 hardcore poor households.
The social safety net programme of the Ministry of Woman, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) focuses on assistance for vulnerable groups such as the aged, disabled, single parents and disaster victims.
Incentives are provided to encourage these groups for their right to development.
Income generating projects had been a concern of the Government especially in rural areas.
In addressing these issues, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry (MOA) provides support with the implementation, networking, management and marketing services for the poor.
Initiatives have been taken to boost women’s participation in business through the creation of funds for entrepreneurs, especially so in the micro-credit programme implemented by Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) where almost 100% of the borrowers are women.
As for the private sector, incentives deductable from corporate tax are given to centres established within the workplace.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from the private sector contributed to the whole mechanism.
Malaysia is home to a number of indigenous groups.
In line with this, comprehensive policies and strategies have been created for the development of indigenous groups focussing on uplifting their quality of life.
The Ministry of Education had extended various forms of assistance to these communities which includes school uniforms, bags, books, school fees and transportation.
These measures have encouraged students to attend school and hence, improve academic excellence.
The Government also provides clean water to these communities through a gravity-feed system as an alternative supply. The Department of Agriculture provides input and agricultural extension services.
These services have increased productivity and hence, they are able to produce sufficient food for their own consumption and income.
Poverty eradication is an ongoing vision and effort. It is an effort which must be shared and led both by the private and public sector.
Kemiskinan bukan untuk diwarisi. (Poverty is not to be inherited).
Poverty is not to be inherited
At Your Service
By DATUK SHUKRY MOHD SALLEH
Malaysia believes in providing balanced development to all citizens. This is to maintain social harmony and political stability. Only then can the economic fundamentals be attained and growth with balanced distribution achieved.
Malaysia is way ahead in meeting the target of the Millennium Development Goals to halve poverty incidence.
Under the economic stimulus packages (PRE I and PRE II), priority was given to people-centric programmes. Elements for assistance for the most affected groups are made easily accessible, such as funds and licences to start new ventures into business.
For the past three and a half decades, poverty rates have declined dramatically.
Since the 1970s, Malaysia has reduced the poverty of nearly half the population (49.6%). The incidence of poverty declined from 5.7% in 2004 to 3.6% in 2007. The incidence of urban poverty decreased from 2.5% in 2004 to 2.0% in 2007 while in rural areas, it declined from 11.9% to 7.1%.
The target of the 9th Malaysia Plan (2006-2010) is to further reduce the incidence of poverty to 2.8% by 2010 and totally eradicate hardcore poor families.
The number of poor households dropped from 311,300 to 209,000 (33%) during the corresponding period. The decline was due to both positive growth and the implementation of various poverty eradication programmes.
Urban household incomes increased at 3.3% per annum from RM3,956 in 2004 to RM4,356 in 2007 while the corresponding rural household income increased at 6.8% from RM1,875 to RM2,283.
Mean household income has increased from RM3,249/month in 2004 to RM3,686/month in 2007, registering an average annual growth of 4.3%.
The higher growth rate of income among rural households was mainly due to better commodity prices, particularly rubber and palm oil.
Malaysia has conducted a census and registered poor households and developed a common user data bank on poverty called eKasih.
The Implementation Coor¬dination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister’s Department coordinates all inter-Ministry and agency poverty eradication programmes.
eKasih provides standard and uniform interpretation of Poverty Line Income (PLI) and profiling of poor families.
The thrust of poverty eradication strategies focuses on eradicating hardcore poverty and sustaining them with social safety net programmes.
In addressing these issues, groups are categorised into two strata – urban and rural.
Common PLI with the number of members of household, age groups and gender will determine the per capita poverty line income within different strata were developed and applied.
Each and every member of a household has their own per capita income based on age, gender and special nutrient requirement based on calory intake to sustain a healthy and productive life.
People’s Housing Programme (PPR) run by the Ministry of Housing and Local Authorities (KPKT) rents houses to target groups for a monthly rental of RM124.00.
Housing programmes are undertaken by both the public and private sectors.
The private sector is encouraged to build more low and low-medium-cost houses in their mixed-development projects while the public sector concentrates on building low-cost houses in urban and rural areas. Focus is also given to building more low-cost units for lower income groups.
Housing Assistance Programme (PBR) is also provided to the poor in rural areas mainly by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKLW).
In 2006, 2,136 hardcore poor households in rural areas were provided home reconstruction assistance, which benefited 10,680 household members.
In 2007, housing assistance was provided to 1,942 hardcore poor households.
The social safety net programme of the Ministry of Woman, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) focuses on assistance for vulnerable groups such as the aged, disabled, single parents and disaster victims.
Incentives are provided to encourage these groups for their right to development.
Income generating projects had been a concern of the Government especially in rural areas.
In addressing these issues, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry (MOA) provides support with the implementation, networking, management and marketing services for the poor.
Initiatives have been taken to boost women’s participation in business through the creation of funds for entrepreneurs, especially so in the micro-credit programme implemented by Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) where almost 100% of the borrowers are women.
As for the private sector, incentives deductable from corporate tax are given to centres established within the workplace.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from the private sector contributed to the whole mechanism.
Malaysia is home to a number of indigenous groups.
In line with this, comprehensive policies and strategies have been created for the development of indigenous groups focussing on uplifting their quality of life.
The Ministry of Education had extended various forms of assistance to these communities which includes school uniforms, bags, books, school fees and transportation.
These measures have encouraged students to attend school and hence, improve academic excellence.
The Government also provides clean water to these communities through a gravity-feed system as an alternative supply. The Department of Agriculture provides input and agricultural extension services.
These services have increased productivity and hence, they are able to produce sufficient food for their own consumption and income.
Poverty eradication is an ongoing vision and effort. It is an effort which must be shared and led both by the private and public sector.
Kemiskinan bukan untuk diwarisi. (Poverty is not to be inherited).
Monday, August 2, 2010
Cover Story: Ladies first
Cover Story: Ladies first
2010/01/05
P. SELVARANI
The country’s first private boarding exclusively for girls has opened its doors to groom a new generation of leaders and global citizens.
P. SELVARANI visits the sprawling campus in Sepang.
THEY say that when you hang out with the young long enough, you look young too. It must be true. The only lines on the face of Datin Freida Pilus, 62, are laugh lines.
After years of raising boys and running a string of co-ed schools, the founding principal of the Cempaka International Ladies College (CILC) is clearly relishing her new role as “mother” to a house full of girls. CILC is the country’s first private residential secondary international school exclusively for girls.
“I have been living for the last 38 years with six men! (Her husband Datuk Hamzah Majid, and her five sons).
“Now it’s wonderful to have girls... a huge house full of daughters and girlish laughter. It’s a wonderful experience for me. Especially now when I see things that I didn’t when I was with the boys.
“It’s nice being with the girls ... you know, girlie problems, the chit-chats ... they’re so affectionate, yet serious in their work. It’s so different having ‘daughters’,” she enthuses during a recent tour of the spacious college campus at Bandar Enstek, Sepang. The Formula One circuit is just five minutes’ drive away.
The CILC is the diplomat-turned-educationist’s latest “baby” — and one that she is extremely proud of.
“It is fulfilling,” she says, “to turn shy, awkward young girls into educated, poised and confident young ladies, capable of bringing change to the world.
“I think the way you bring up girls should be different from the way you bring up boys. Girls learn differently.
“There is a study by Harvard researchers that suggests girls tend to be more focused, and do significantly better, in a single-gender boarding school. In the United States, schools are now moving in that direction, with single gender schools or, at least, single gender classrooms. Apart from the significant academic advantage, it is also important for girls to learn about aesthetics, etiquette, grooming, nutrition, exercise, etc.
“Girls should be guided to flower into what some would call a ‘wow’ personality. Poised and gentle, educated and highly competent,” she says.
Freida believes strongly in the importance of educating women because “our girls are taught to be self-starters and to have self-discipline”.
“You want them to be confident, you want them to be intelligent, you want them to multi-task, and you want them to learn to solve problems. They will one day become mothers — the core mentor and educator in the family.
“In short, if you want a better and more stable society, you have to start with good education for girls.
“They will occupy pivotal roles — both at home and in the corporate world,” said Freida.
She should know. Apart from being a wife and a mother of five successful sons in a loving home, she is also the founder of the elite Cempaka Group of Schools.
Along the way, she has won three Gold Awards for Excellence from the Ministry of Education, the coveted Woman of the Decade award (1981-90), Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award 2008, recognised as one of Malaysia’s Inspiring Women, and winner of the Ernst & Young Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award 2009.
As an international school with students from around the world, CILC provides its girls with an opportunity to live with, and learn from, their peers from diverse cultures and religions.
The curriculum at the college, Freida says, is a blend of the traditional academic rigour of the British and European systems, and the rich cultural diversity of Asia.
Malaysian students with strong UPSR or PMR results can apply for admission, and candidates are required to sit for an admissions test and attend an interview.
Upon admission, the girls may take between seven and 10 subjects, including the three Sciences, Mathematics, Global Perspective Studies, Food and Nutrition (where they can exercise their green thumbs in CILC’s gardens, and their culinary skills in a specially designed kitchen), Environmental Studies, History, Creative Writing, and the Fine Arts such as Art, Music, Vocal training, Dance, Speech and Drama.
The girls graduate with the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), after which they go on to do the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. These prepare them for the better universities, anywhere in the world.
Freida admits that she expects “straight A’s from my students”.
“I urge them to excel, because I know they can do it: they are bright, they attend small classes, and even smaller tutorials, and are taught by exceptionally good teachers.
“I want them to be committed, self-motivated, and independent learners. And here they are taught the Cempaka credo — that nothing is impossible,” she says.
While she may sound like a taskmaster, Freida is assuring in that she knows every one of her students well, and advises them on how to manage their time efficiently. Time management is an important life skill, she says. “It is a good life habit that goes hand-in-hand with discipline.”
Apart from that, she is kept up to date on the progress of individual girls by their personal tutors in the unique CILC tutorial system.
The secret to success, she says, is in believing that nothing is beyond one’s reach.
“You must have a goal in life. You must reach for the stars. If you teach the children that, then nothing is impossible. They will believe in themselves. They will be confident that they can do anything and everything. But there has to be good planning.”
Freida is clear that, in spite of its world-class accommodation and facilities, the college has no place for those seeking an indolent life.
Apart from excelling academically, the students, whose age can range from 12 to 17 years, are expected to make their own beds and keep their own rooms and bathrooms clean and tidy, on a daily basis.
The accommodation is unlike the dorm in any boarding school. It is more hotel-like — spacious, with attached bathrooms and are air-conditioned. For the junior students, two share an en-suite room, while the seniors get an en-suite room each. (A number of Cempaka mothers have wistfully remarked that they wish they were girls again!)
Freida does spot checks to make sure they toe the line and keep their rooms neat and tidy.
“We want the girls to form good, tidy habits. There is no one here to pick up after them. (However, all the rooms receive a thorough, professional cleaning once a month.)
“I think the problem now is that some parents are not willing to impose a regime of discipline in their children. Sometimes parents don’t do it out of fear the child might rebel, and might not love them for it.
“I disagree. All children need a framework of discipline within which there exists predictability, and where they are comfortable.
“When a child makes an effort, and succeeds, the child will appreciate the wisdom of that framework, and will respect and love the parents even more for it. Without such a framework, a child is lost and confused with mixed values and, in the end, feels abandoned.” she says.
“Sometimes parents happily tell me that they are ‘like a friend’ to their child. I find this disconcerting. Your son or your daughter doesn’t need (you as) a ‘friend’. They have many friends. What they need is a mother or a father who is firm.
“Another mistake,” she says, “is to equate money, or presents, with love. Money can never be equivalent to love. To me, love means guiding your children in a proper way, such as in thinking clearly and making the right choices. Ultimately, life is all about making choices.”
What irks Freida most is the reluctance of some parents, especially those who have the means, to invest in the education of their children. They depend on the government for everything.
“In our culture, sadly, there is no strong tradition for education. Education is not regarded as an investment. There are many people with money but, unfortunately, their priority is jewellery, boutique clothes, foreign travel, lavish parties and exotic supercars. But to spend money on a child’s education... they think it’s unnecessary and expensive. They are not aware that education as an important investment in life.”
Freida is also quick to dispel the notion that the CILC (or any of those in the Cempaka stable of thoroughbred schools), is only for the children of the wealthy elite.
“That is a myth. Not true at all. We have, among Cempaka parents, people from all walks of life. Of course they have some money, but not everyone is from the top social strata. I’ve had parents who sold merchandise at the night market, or sell fish and vegetables in the wholesale market, and even an occasional taxi driver. They send their children to private schools because they know the importance of a good education.”
The CILC hopes to have an enrolment of about 100 students this month. With full enrolment, it will have 280 boarding students and about 100 day scholars. When the second boarding phase is completed, it expects to have 560 boarding students, plus about 200 day scholars.
Unlike the boarders, the day scholars will attend school from 7am to 7pm.
For the boarders, the day starts at 6am when Muslim girls perform their morning prayers in the surau (there is also a chapel for the Christians, and a contemplation room for children of other faiths), before the students gather to attend a pilates, or a “body combat”, session, until 7am. This is followed by shower and breakfast, after which classes start at 8am.
The girls dress in their smart uniforms (dark blue with thin red stripes) for classes in air-conditioned classrooms. Lunch and dinner are served in a unique and interesting dining room that overlooks an indoor herbal garden. The girls can order their choice of dinner from the menu, one week ahead.
Classes finish at 3.30pm, when the girls adjourn for their “Tutors Tea” for 30 minutes. The tutors in charge of students will have tea with their pupils, listen to, and evaluate, their day’s work, problems (if any), and progress.
This is followed by co-curricular activities such as games or music/dance lessons.
Apart from an Olympic-sized swimming pool, the college has an indoor sports complex (complete with a gymnastics hall, basketball, squash and badminton courts, rock climbing facilities and indoor running tracks) a gymnasium and, of course, outdoor facilities such tennis courts, outdoor netball, and a large field. There are also stables for horses, and plans for equestrian activities to start in the middle of the year.
There is also a purpose-designed Performing Arts hall, with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems.
After dinner, it is “prep time”, when the girls go to the “prep room” to do their homework. It’s lights out for the juniors at 10pm, and an hour later for the seniors. The campus wide wi-fi system is then shut off for the night. And the buildings and grounds are patrolled by female security officers.
Except for those who are behind in their work, or have special assignments to complete, students are allowed to leave for home after tea on Friday, for the weekend. But they have to be back in college before 6pm on Sunday, in time for dinner and “prep work”. Foreign students may stay in, or can choose to stay with their guardians.
Freida enjoys fussing over her new “babes”, safe in the knowledge that “her men” are literally standing by her in her latest venture.
She recently handed over the reins of the Cempaka Schools chairmanship to her eldest son Dr Iskandar Rizal (an Edinburgh-trained doctor). Her second son Fareed, an Edinburgh-trained architect, designed the CILC buildings and campus.
Son number three, Raphael, who graduated in law, looks into the group’s legal matters, as well as teaches videography and film-making. Son number four, Hishamuddin, a finance and management graduate, teaches history and business studies. Her youngest son, Zahiruddin, is still at university in Melbourne.
“My sons, working with me, bring in a lot of new ideas... young, innovative, fresh ideas, especially on technology in education.”
As principal of the college, Freida is very hands-on, making sure she is involved in every aspect of each child’s life. Her decision to move from her spacious Bukit Damansara home to live on campus is testimony to her commitment to CILC.
“I do things with the girls. I share my experiences with my teachers and the children. They feel I am part of them and they are a part of me. My passion is here. This is my life.”
- More details on CILC can be obtained from: www.cempaka.edu.my
2010/01/05
P. SELVARANI
The country’s first private boarding exclusively for girls has opened its doors to groom a new generation of leaders and global citizens.
P. SELVARANI visits the sprawling campus in Sepang.
THEY say that when you hang out with the young long enough, you look young too. It must be true. The only lines on the face of Datin Freida Pilus, 62, are laugh lines.
After years of raising boys and running a string of co-ed schools, the founding principal of the Cempaka International Ladies College (CILC) is clearly relishing her new role as “mother” to a house full of girls. CILC is the country’s first private residential secondary international school exclusively for girls.
“I have been living for the last 38 years with six men! (Her husband Datuk Hamzah Majid, and her five sons).
“Now it’s wonderful to have girls... a huge house full of daughters and girlish laughter. It’s a wonderful experience for me. Especially now when I see things that I didn’t when I was with the boys.
“It’s nice being with the girls ... you know, girlie problems, the chit-chats ... they’re so affectionate, yet serious in their work. It’s so different having ‘daughters’,” she enthuses during a recent tour of the spacious college campus at Bandar Enstek, Sepang. The Formula One circuit is just five minutes’ drive away.
The CILC is the diplomat-turned-educationist’s latest “baby” — and one that she is extremely proud of.
“It is fulfilling,” she says, “to turn shy, awkward young girls into educated, poised and confident young ladies, capable of bringing change to the world.
“I think the way you bring up girls should be different from the way you bring up boys. Girls learn differently.
“There is a study by Harvard researchers that suggests girls tend to be more focused, and do significantly better, in a single-gender boarding school. In the United States, schools are now moving in that direction, with single gender schools or, at least, single gender classrooms. Apart from the significant academic advantage, it is also important for girls to learn about aesthetics, etiquette, grooming, nutrition, exercise, etc.
“Girls should be guided to flower into what some would call a ‘wow’ personality. Poised and gentle, educated and highly competent,” she says.
Freida believes strongly in the importance of educating women because “our girls are taught to be self-starters and to have self-discipline”.
“You want them to be confident, you want them to be intelligent, you want them to multi-task, and you want them to learn to solve problems. They will one day become mothers — the core mentor and educator in the family.
“In short, if you want a better and more stable society, you have to start with good education for girls.
“They will occupy pivotal roles — both at home and in the corporate world,” said Freida.
She should know. Apart from being a wife and a mother of five successful sons in a loving home, she is also the founder of the elite Cempaka Group of Schools.
Along the way, she has won three Gold Awards for Excellence from the Ministry of Education, the coveted Woman of the Decade award (1981-90), Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award 2008, recognised as one of Malaysia’s Inspiring Women, and winner of the Ernst & Young Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award 2009.
As an international school with students from around the world, CILC provides its girls with an opportunity to live with, and learn from, their peers from diverse cultures and religions.
The curriculum at the college, Freida says, is a blend of the traditional academic rigour of the British and European systems, and the rich cultural diversity of Asia.
Malaysian students with strong UPSR or PMR results can apply for admission, and candidates are required to sit for an admissions test and attend an interview.
Upon admission, the girls may take between seven and 10 subjects, including the three Sciences, Mathematics, Global Perspective Studies, Food and Nutrition (where they can exercise their green thumbs in CILC’s gardens, and their culinary skills in a specially designed kitchen), Environmental Studies, History, Creative Writing, and the Fine Arts such as Art, Music, Vocal training, Dance, Speech and Drama.
The girls graduate with the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), after which they go on to do the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. These prepare them for the better universities, anywhere in the world.
Freida admits that she expects “straight A’s from my students”.
“I urge them to excel, because I know they can do it: they are bright, they attend small classes, and even smaller tutorials, and are taught by exceptionally good teachers.
“I want them to be committed, self-motivated, and independent learners. And here they are taught the Cempaka credo — that nothing is impossible,” she says.
While she may sound like a taskmaster, Freida is assuring in that she knows every one of her students well, and advises them on how to manage their time efficiently. Time management is an important life skill, she says. “It is a good life habit that goes hand-in-hand with discipline.”
Apart from that, she is kept up to date on the progress of individual girls by their personal tutors in the unique CILC tutorial system.
The secret to success, she says, is in believing that nothing is beyond one’s reach.
“You must have a goal in life. You must reach for the stars. If you teach the children that, then nothing is impossible. They will believe in themselves. They will be confident that they can do anything and everything. But there has to be good planning.”
Freida is clear that, in spite of its world-class accommodation and facilities, the college has no place for those seeking an indolent life.
Apart from excelling academically, the students, whose age can range from 12 to 17 years, are expected to make their own beds and keep their own rooms and bathrooms clean and tidy, on a daily basis.
The accommodation is unlike the dorm in any boarding school. It is more hotel-like — spacious, with attached bathrooms and are air-conditioned. For the junior students, two share an en-suite room, while the seniors get an en-suite room each. (A number of Cempaka mothers have wistfully remarked that they wish they were girls again!)
Freida does spot checks to make sure they toe the line and keep their rooms neat and tidy.
“We want the girls to form good, tidy habits. There is no one here to pick up after them. (However, all the rooms receive a thorough, professional cleaning once a month.)
“I think the problem now is that some parents are not willing to impose a regime of discipline in their children. Sometimes parents don’t do it out of fear the child might rebel, and might not love them for it.
“I disagree. All children need a framework of discipline within which there exists predictability, and where they are comfortable.
“When a child makes an effort, and succeeds, the child will appreciate the wisdom of that framework, and will respect and love the parents even more for it. Without such a framework, a child is lost and confused with mixed values and, in the end, feels abandoned.” she says.
“Sometimes parents happily tell me that they are ‘like a friend’ to their child. I find this disconcerting. Your son or your daughter doesn’t need (you as) a ‘friend’. They have many friends. What they need is a mother or a father who is firm.
“Another mistake,” she says, “is to equate money, or presents, with love. Money can never be equivalent to love. To me, love means guiding your children in a proper way, such as in thinking clearly and making the right choices. Ultimately, life is all about making choices.”
What irks Freida most is the reluctance of some parents, especially those who have the means, to invest in the education of their children. They depend on the government for everything.
“In our culture, sadly, there is no strong tradition for education. Education is not regarded as an investment. There are many people with money but, unfortunately, their priority is jewellery, boutique clothes, foreign travel, lavish parties and exotic supercars. But to spend money on a child’s education... they think it’s unnecessary and expensive. They are not aware that education as an important investment in life.”
Freida is also quick to dispel the notion that the CILC (or any of those in the Cempaka stable of thoroughbred schools), is only for the children of the wealthy elite.
“That is a myth. Not true at all. We have, among Cempaka parents, people from all walks of life. Of course they have some money, but not everyone is from the top social strata. I’ve had parents who sold merchandise at the night market, or sell fish and vegetables in the wholesale market, and even an occasional taxi driver. They send their children to private schools because they know the importance of a good education.”
The CILC hopes to have an enrolment of about 100 students this month. With full enrolment, it will have 280 boarding students and about 100 day scholars. When the second boarding phase is completed, it expects to have 560 boarding students, plus about 200 day scholars.
Unlike the boarders, the day scholars will attend school from 7am to 7pm.
For the boarders, the day starts at 6am when Muslim girls perform their morning prayers in the surau (there is also a chapel for the Christians, and a contemplation room for children of other faiths), before the students gather to attend a pilates, or a “body combat”, session, until 7am. This is followed by shower and breakfast, after which classes start at 8am.
The girls dress in their smart uniforms (dark blue with thin red stripes) for classes in air-conditioned classrooms. Lunch and dinner are served in a unique and interesting dining room that overlooks an indoor herbal garden. The girls can order their choice of dinner from the menu, one week ahead.
Classes finish at 3.30pm, when the girls adjourn for their “Tutors Tea” for 30 minutes. The tutors in charge of students will have tea with their pupils, listen to, and evaluate, their day’s work, problems (if any), and progress.
This is followed by co-curricular activities such as games or music/dance lessons.
Apart from an Olympic-sized swimming pool, the college has an indoor sports complex (complete with a gymnastics hall, basketball, squash and badminton courts, rock climbing facilities and indoor running tracks) a gymnasium and, of course, outdoor facilities such tennis courts, outdoor netball, and a large field. There are also stables for horses, and plans for equestrian activities to start in the middle of the year.
There is also a purpose-designed Performing Arts hall, with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems.
After dinner, it is “prep time”, when the girls go to the “prep room” to do their homework. It’s lights out for the juniors at 10pm, and an hour later for the seniors. The campus wide wi-fi system is then shut off for the night. And the buildings and grounds are patrolled by female security officers.
Except for those who are behind in their work, or have special assignments to complete, students are allowed to leave for home after tea on Friday, for the weekend. But they have to be back in college before 6pm on Sunday, in time for dinner and “prep work”. Foreign students may stay in, or can choose to stay with their guardians.
Freida enjoys fussing over her new “babes”, safe in the knowledge that “her men” are literally standing by her in her latest venture.
She recently handed over the reins of the Cempaka Schools chairmanship to her eldest son Dr Iskandar Rizal (an Edinburgh-trained doctor). Her second son Fareed, an Edinburgh-trained architect, designed the CILC buildings and campus.
Son number three, Raphael, who graduated in law, looks into the group’s legal matters, as well as teaches videography and film-making. Son number four, Hishamuddin, a finance and management graduate, teaches history and business studies. Her youngest son, Zahiruddin, is still at university in Melbourne.
“My sons, working with me, bring in a lot of new ideas... young, innovative, fresh ideas, especially on technology in education.”
As principal of the college, Freida is very hands-on, making sure she is involved in every aspect of each child’s life. Her decision to move from her spacious Bukit Damansara home to live on campus is testimony to her commitment to CILC.
“I do things with the girls. I share my experiences with my teachers and the children. They feel I am part of them and they are a part of me. My passion is here. This is my life.”
- More details on CILC can be obtained from: www.cempaka.edu.my
Pro GST and above board economy
Dear editor,
Appreciate if you can publish this proposal
I pity the present government & the PM as he is stuck between reducing the budget deficits / growing the economy and stop pleasing this non productive population. What more when we are in the fragile recovery and approaching the next general election. Mr Prime Minister, you must make some unpopular decision, we don’t want Malaysia to be like Iceland, Spain or Greece. Whilst, everyone is praising our one Malaysia concept, national key results area (NKRA), the high income economy, the new economic model, the education system etc…but, I cant help listening to forums and various public discussion that the crux of our economic malaise is the “implementation process”. Malaysia hv all the good governance system at par with the develop countries but our implementers mismanaged their roles. One area that I see that can assist the government in implementing their expenditure is to outsource or privatize the “implementation part i.e.… in development spending and the collection of taxes / duties. Give this disbursement job to the banks. With free costs of funds, the least these bankers can do (if they don’t hv to pay interest to the government) is to take in some of the government bureaucrats and implementers into the bank. The bank hv all the systems / processes and technology to quickly disbursed and monitor these expenditures / projects. If any bank failed to deliver or behave like the current bureaucrats, go pick another bank. I’m sure most banks will efficiently do their best job to get these free floats of funds in their banking system. If that too failed, give the job to a proven foreign bank. I’m sure they too want the government funds. This way it’s a win win situation, where the banks hv access to cheap funds, the government can transfer its bloated government personnel to the banks, but of course if the motive of the development expenditure is non transparent, we will keep on suffering in the current predicament. There hv been examples of government funding through the banking system. But the big complaints for the construction payment, education buildings etc… on the tax / duties collection side, we know our economy is not that efficient yet, I’m sure there are some monies that is underground, not tax or did not go through the banking system, this illegal pirates and money laundry activities are some of the causes that makes our economy inefficient, real monies that never goes into the economy but spend or wasted elsewhere. Let the tax collectors and government planners be in charged of “policy making” and let the spending and the collection of country’s money be in the hand of these professionals. Anyway you do hv Bank Negara Malaysia to “whip” these bankers, right!
Pro GST and above board economy
Ras
Setiawangsa
""We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibilities for our future,"" by George Bernard Shaw
Appreciate if you can publish this proposal
I pity the present government & the PM as he is stuck between reducing the budget deficits / growing the economy and stop pleasing this non productive population. What more when we are in the fragile recovery and approaching the next general election. Mr Prime Minister, you must make some unpopular decision, we don’t want Malaysia to be like Iceland, Spain or Greece. Whilst, everyone is praising our one Malaysia concept, national key results area (NKRA), the high income economy, the new economic model, the education system etc…but, I cant help listening to forums and various public discussion that the crux of our economic malaise is the “implementation process”. Malaysia hv all the good governance system at par with the develop countries but our implementers mismanaged their roles. One area that I see that can assist the government in implementing their expenditure is to outsource or privatize the “implementation part i.e.… in development spending and the collection of taxes / duties. Give this disbursement job to the banks. With free costs of funds, the least these bankers can do (if they don’t hv to pay interest to the government) is to take in some of the government bureaucrats and implementers into the bank. The bank hv all the systems / processes and technology to quickly disbursed and monitor these expenditures / projects. If any bank failed to deliver or behave like the current bureaucrats, go pick another bank. I’m sure most banks will efficiently do their best job to get these free floats of funds in their banking system. If that too failed, give the job to a proven foreign bank. I’m sure they too want the government funds. This way it’s a win win situation, where the banks hv access to cheap funds, the government can transfer its bloated government personnel to the banks, but of course if the motive of the development expenditure is non transparent, we will keep on suffering in the current predicament. There hv been examples of government funding through the banking system. But the big complaints for the construction payment, education buildings etc… on the tax / duties collection side, we know our economy is not that efficient yet, I’m sure there are some monies that is underground, not tax or did not go through the banking system, this illegal pirates and money laundry activities are some of the causes that makes our economy inefficient, real monies that never goes into the economy but spend or wasted elsewhere. Let the tax collectors and government planners be in charged of “policy making” and let the spending and the collection of country’s money be in the hand of these professionals. Anyway you do hv Bank Negara Malaysia to “whip” these bankers, right!
Pro GST and above board economy
Ras
Setiawangsa
""We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibilities for our future,"" by George Bernard Shaw
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Success comes from ‘hunger’
Sunday December 13, 2009
Success comes from ‘hunger’
By CINDY POH
YOUNG entrepreneurs imparted precious pearls of wisdom at a panel discussion during the recent Global Entrepreneurship Week at the Gardens Mall in Kuala Lumpur recently.
Entitled ‘Empowering Youths in Entrepreneurship’, the event was jointly organised by Youth Entrepreneurs Malaysia (YEM), Leaderonomics, and Warisan Global Sdn Bhd.
Dash
“An entrepreneur needs to always stay ‘hungry’ and ‘foolish’ enough to constantly ask questions, make mistakes in order to grow, and have a point of view,” said Dhakshinamoorthy Balakrishnan, or more popularly known as Dash, Warisan Global’s chief executive officer (CEO).
And Dash is no stranger to the business world. From a young age, he demonstrated considerable business talent when he gave Mathematics tuition classes under a hut in order to sustain his own studies.
At 44, Dash has been at the helm of three businesseses, including the two companies he sold for profit.
He said that the spirit of entrepreneurship meant that an individual could start as an entrepreneur at anytime of his or her life, without being restricted by conditions or circumstances.
The panel also featured American entrepreneur-in-residence with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Michael Levin, YEM co-founder Michael Teoh, Leaderonomics CEO Roshan Thiran, and young aspiring entrepreneur Sabrie Salleh.
Teoh
Among the issues highlighted was whether youths should go straight into entrepreneurship right after graduating or gain some experience in the working world first.
Teoh, the youngest of the panelists at 22 years old, said that students need not be a full-fledged ‘businessman’ in order to be an entrepreneur.
He added that they could even start practising to be one now by doing something in a small scale, such as organising a bazaar at their campuses.
“This way, the students can practise to be in action and be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge,” he said.
Roshan, whose articles on leadership appear regularly in The Star, said that the decision to be an entrepreneur was a personal one, and depended on the individual’s background and experience.
The panel discussion also discussed the question of how a higher education institution should go about encouraging the spirit of entrepreneurship in its students.
Sabrie, who is currently undertaking his Masters in Entrepreneurship at HELP University College, commented that most students had a mindset that entrepreneurship meant opening up a stall.
Roshan
“I’m not stereotyping, but this is true of many students in Malaysia. Sometimes, it is up to the individual’s instincts and passion in becoming an entrepreneur,” he said.
On the importance of conducting a business with passion, Dash said that students needed to hunger for success.
“This is perhaps lacking among students where some actually do it as escapism from having to work under someone and instead, becoming the boss themselves.
“Others would expect a grant from the government to start off, which ought not to be practised. Rather, you need to ask yourself what exactly is your trigger factor,” he said.
At the same event, YEM also unveiled the results of the 550 Youth Entrepreneurs Research in Malaysia, where 550 youths aged 20 to 29 were surveyed on matters concerned with their interests in entrepreneurship.
More than 50% of the surveyed youths said that they were interested to set up their own business and most would prefer to begin in the services sector.
Success comes from ‘hunger’
By CINDY POH
YOUNG entrepreneurs imparted precious pearls of wisdom at a panel discussion during the recent Global Entrepreneurship Week at the Gardens Mall in Kuala Lumpur recently.
Entitled ‘Empowering Youths in Entrepreneurship’, the event was jointly organised by Youth Entrepreneurs Malaysia (YEM), Leaderonomics, and Warisan Global Sdn Bhd.
Dash
“An entrepreneur needs to always stay ‘hungry’ and ‘foolish’ enough to constantly ask questions, make mistakes in order to grow, and have a point of view,” said Dhakshinamoorthy Balakrishnan, or more popularly known as Dash, Warisan Global’s chief executive officer (CEO).
And Dash is no stranger to the business world. From a young age, he demonstrated considerable business talent when he gave Mathematics tuition classes under a hut in order to sustain his own studies.
At 44, Dash has been at the helm of three businesseses, including the two companies he sold for profit.
He said that the spirit of entrepreneurship meant that an individual could start as an entrepreneur at anytime of his or her life, without being restricted by conditions or circumstances.
The panel also featured American entrepreneur-in-residence with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Michael Levin, YEM co-founder Michael Teoh, Leaderonomics CEO Roshan Thiran, and young aspiring entrepreneur Sabrie Salleh.
Teoh
Among the issues highlighted was whether youths should go straight into entrepreneurship right after graduating or gain some experience in the working world first.
Teoh, the youngest of the panelists at 22 years old, said that students need not be a full-fledged ‘businessman’ in order to be an entrepreneur.
He added that they could even start practising to be one now by doing something in a small scale, such as organising a bazaar at their campuses.
“This way, the students can practise to be in action and be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge,” he said.
Roshan, whose articles on leadership appear regularly in The Star, said that the decision to be an entrepreneur was a personal one, and depended on the individual’s background and experience.
The panel discussion also discussed the question of how a higher education institution should go about encouraging the spirit of entrepreneurship in its students.
Sabrie, who is currently undertaking his Masters in Entrepreneurship at HELP University College, commented that most students had a mindset that entrepreneurship meant opening up a stall.
Roshan
“I’m not stereotyping, but this is true of many students in Malaysia. Sometimes, it is up to the individual’s instincts and passion in becoming an entrepreneur,” he said.
On the importance of conducting a business with passion, Dash said that students needed to hunger for success.
“This is perhaps lacking among students where some actually do it as escapism from having to work under someone and instead, becoming the boss themselves.
“Others would expect a grant from the government to start off, which ought not to be practised. Rather, you need to ask yourself what exactly is your trigger factor,” he said.
At the same event, YEM also unveiled the results of the 550 Youth Entrepreneurs Research in Malaysia, where 550 youths aged 20 to 29 were surveyed on matters concerned with their interests in entrepreneurship.
More than 50% of the surveyed youths said that they were interested to set up their own business and most would prefer to begin in the services sector.
5 Ways to Wow Your Boss
5 Ways to Wow Your Boss
by Caroline M.L. Potter, Yahoo! HotJobs
It's more important than ever to make sure your boss is happy with your performance. In tenuous times, your supervisor is one of the few people who may be able to shield you from a layoff. She may also be able to help you pursue a promotion down the road.
However, like any relationship, the one between you and your boss can get stale. You may grow complacent over time or you may never start off on the right foot. The good news is that it's never too late to breathe new life into how you work with your supervisor, thanks to these expert tips from Alexandra Levit, author of "New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career."
If you heed these five hints, you'll not only contribute to your job security; you'll also win your boss's admiration and appreciation -- as well as a little loyalty.
1. Be humble. In other words, be mindful of the fact that it's not all about you. Says Levit, "Don't approach your boss with a sense of entitlement, as though he is personally responsible for furthering your career. Instead, focus on learning what you can do to make his life easier, contribute to your company's goals, and make him look good to his boss."
2. Be honest. Everyone makes mistakes -- and you're no exception. Be forthcoming about it from the start. "Admit if you do something wrong, and then ask your boss how you can rectify the situation. Don't allow yourself to get caught in a maze of lies or excuses that will result in a loss of credibility," she advises.
3. Be respectful of the boss's time. If you think your plate is full, consider that of your boss. Use your time together wisely and efficiently. Levit suggests, "Appear in her office with a checklist of things you need to cover, and don't dwell too long on any particular subject. Your boss will be more receptive to meeting with you if she knows you'll be in and out of his office quickly."
4. Be self-sufficient. Be mindful of the fact that your supervisor doesn't have the bandwidth to hold your hand through every crisis or help you make every difficult decision that lands on your desk.
"Only approach your boss with a problem or complaint if you've explored all options for resolving it yourself. When you do, be prepared to have a solution at hand that you could implement with her help," says Levit, who is also a contributor to The Wall Street Journal.
"Choose your battles wisely, and decide carefully if bringing an issue to your boss's attention is really necessary or if you would be better off letting it go," she adds.
5. Be a "can-do" employee. Redefine the concept of a "yes man" (or "yes woman") at the office. She advises, "When your boss asks you to do something, accommodate him, if possible. The words 'I don't have time' should never escape your lips. If you know something needs to be done, do it without being prodded, and if your boss asks for help in a group setting, be the first to volunteer."
If you're always amenable, Levit believes, "Your boss will quickly come to see you as a huge asset to the team and as someone he can count on."
by Caroline M.L. Potter, Yahoo! HotJobs
It's more important than ever to make sure your boss is happy with your performance. In tenuous times, your supervisor is one of the few people who may be able to shield you from a layoff. She may also be able to help you pursue a promotion down the road.
However, like any relationship, the one between you and your boss can get stale. You may grow complacent over time or you may never start off on the right foot. The good news is that it's never too late to breathe new life into how you work with your supervisor, thanks to these expert tips from Alexandra Levit, author of "New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career."
If you heed these five hints, you'll not only contribute to your job security; you'll also win your boss's admiration and appreciation -- as well as a little loyalty.
1. Be humble. In other words, be mindful of the fact that it's not all about you. Says Levit, "Don't approach your boss with a sense of entitlement, as though he is personally responsible for furthering your career. Instead, focus on learning what you can do to make his life easier, contribute to your company's goals, and make him look good to his boss."
2. Be honest. Everyone makes mistakes -- and you're no exception. Be forthcoming about it from the start. "Admit if you do something wrong, and then ask your boss how you can rectify the situation. Don't allow yourself to get caught in a maze of lies or excuses that will result in a loss of credibility," she advises.
3. Be respectful of the boss's time. If you think your plate is full, consider that of your boss. Use your time together wisely and efficiently. Levit suggests, "Appear in her office with a checklist of things you need to cover, and don't dwell too long on any particular subject. Your boss will be more receptive to meeting with you if she knows you'll be in and out of his office quickly."
4. Be self-sufficient. Be mindful of the fact that your supervisor doesn't have the bandwidth to hold your hand through every crisis or help you make every difficult decision that lands on your desk.
"Only approach your boss with a problem or complaint if you've explored all options for resolving it yourself. When you do, be prepared to have a solution at hand that you could implement with her help," says Levit, who is also a contributor to The Wall Street Journal.
"Choose your battles wisely, and decide carefully if bringing an issue to your boss's attention is really necessary or if you would be better off letting it go," she adds.
5. Be a "can-do" employee. Redefine the concept of a "yes man" (or "yes woman") at the office. She advises, "When your boss asks you to do something, accommodate him, if possible. The words 'I don't have time' should never escape your lips. If you know something needs to be done, do it without being prodded, and if your boss asks for help in a group setting, be the first to volunteer."
If you're always amenable, Levit believes, "Your boss will quickly come to see you as a huge asset to the team and as someone he can count on."
Lessons learnt abroad
Sunday December 6, 2009
Lessons learnt abroad
By ALYCIA LIM
It is not the learning alone, but the total experience that lures our students to foreign shores.
WITH the strong value of the British pound and the Australian and the US (United States) dollar against the Malaysian Ringgit, one would think that local parents will refrain from sending their children abroad for studies. However, this does not seem to be the case.
There are already about 23,000 Malaysian students currently studying in Australian institutions of higher learning, over 13,000 in the United Kingdom (UK) and another 6,000 students in the US.
These numbers are poised to grow even further despite the bleak economic outlook. StarEducation spoke to education consultants, counsellors, students and parents to find out the “pull’’ factor and what attracts the ever increasing number of Malaysian students to foreign universities.
With so many institutions to choose from, Tony Tan, managing director of education consultancy Studylink says that he always asks students what they are looking for when they decide to study in another country.
“Some people may want to live in a city, but others may like to be in a quieter place. Of course, the cost factor plays a big role as well when deciding on where to go.”
Tan says that he has met many businessmen and executives who can afford to pay for their child’s education abroad, but when it comes to the crux of the matter — that is on deciding on the institution itself — they rely on word-of-mouth from friends and relatives, to get a better idea and to be assured.
Unfortunately, this may not always be the best option for the student, as university rankings may be misleading at times, especially when a student is already interested in a particular course.
“Instead of looking at the rankings, what is more important is for students to know what they want, and find a suitable institution that best fits their needs,” he says.
Parents and students often enrol in an institution based on the university’s ranking, but often end up feeling shortchanged as they do not experience what they had hoped for.
Studying Down Under
One of the most popular study destinations amongst Malaysians is Australia.
Australian Education International education counsellor Louise McSorley says, “Australia is a popular choice amongst Malaysians because of its close proximity to home.
“Parents may also feel more comfortable and assured knowing that their child is only a few hours away by flight.”
She adds that there may also be a sense of familiarity amongst Malaysian students, because there are already many Asians in Australia and students may be able to assimilate better into the community without going through too much of a culture shock.
For Conie Wee, 22, a pharmacy student in the University of South Australia, her decision to study in Adelaide was made after careful consideration.
“Coming from Kota Baru, I wanted to experience studying in a different environment while still living in a laid back place.
“I decided to come to Adelaide in Australia, because apart from the environment, I also felt I was more used to the Australian education system as opposed to the US education system. The UK was not an option at all as it was quite expensive at the time I applied for a place in university.”
Fortunately for her, fitting into the study environment in Adelaide was smooth sailing, as she was lucky enough to meet people who helped her find her footing.
“All I had to do was to ask, and the people around were more than willing to help.”
Tan says that instead of looking at rankings alone, students should decide on finding an institution that fits their requirements.
Living in Adelaide turned out to be a pleasant experience for C. Kughan, 21, who believes that the greatest advantage one has in studying in the city is the fact that it is close to home.
He adds, “I love the laid back culture and the beaches here are beautiful!”
As for living costs, both Conie and Kughan say they spend about A$1,200 (RM3,740) per month on living expenses, including rental.
But over in the state of Victoria, Tasha Amir, 24, who currently studies in the University of Melbourne, pays much more for her city life.
Living in a studio apartment, Tasha forks out A$1,200 (RM3,740) for rental alone each month, plus about A$700 (RM2,180) for food, transport, and entertainment.
In response to the high lodging cost, Louise says, “housing is getting more expensive, but it is not just the students who are paying a lot to live in the city. The economy is booming, and more people are drifting to urban areas, so it is advisable for students to sort out their lodging before they leave.”
Albeit the high living costs, Tasha’s father, Amir Hassan, who is an IT consultant says: “Studying overseas really helped me as it opened my eyes and made me see things from a different perspective. I was lucky to get a government scholarship then because my parents could not afford to send me overseas.
“Since I can afford to send my children overseas, I want them to share and enjoy that experience.”
Asked if he wants his daughter to live in Australia, Amir says he sent her overseas not only to get an education but to let her see the good and bad sides of both countries.
“No place is perfect, and by going to Australia, I hope she gains all the exposure learning about a different culture, and eventually come back to Malaysia to be an element of change here for our country,” he shares.
What about the US?
Dr Coffman: The US is seen as an alternative because tuition fees have not gone up.
With such high costs involved in sending their children to Australia, many parents are also now looking at alternatives.
According to Open Doors 2009, an annual report on student mobility, there has been a 9.5% increase in the enrolment of Malaysian students to the US since last year. Malaysia ranks 21 in the order of countries sending their students to the United States. Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange executive director Dr James Coffman says, “More Malaysians are looking at the US as an alternative for their tertiary studies because tuition fees have not gone up as much compared to the UK and Australia. He adds that accommodation costs are much more affordable, ranging from US$300 (RM1,020) to US$1,500 (RM5,000) per month, although students who are keen on studying in bigger cities like Boston, New York and areas in California will be incurring higher rentals and expenses.
Student Edeleen Lunjew, who is currently doing her undergraduate studies at North Dakota State University majoring in Psychology, decided to try the best of both worlds.
Taking a 2+2 American Degree Programme in a local private college, she managed to get some experience studying locally, and moved to the US in her final two years of study.
Wanting to experience what her parents experienced, Edeleen says that she decided on going to the US as her parents had lived there while her father was pursuing a Masters degree.
Edeleen pays US$290 (RM980) each month on rental and bills and about another US$300 (RM1,020) for other expenses.
UK still attractive
According to the British Council, Malaysians are present in all parts of the UK, although most students prefer larger cities like London, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham and Liverpool due to familiarity.
There has also been a sudden increase in the student intake last year due to the weakening of the British Pound.
Statistics from the British Council’s Higher Education Student Data showed a jump in numbers, from 11,870 students in 2007, to 13,390 students in 2008.
University of Portsmouth Masters degree student Kingston Liu, who lives in a student dormitory that costs £85 (RM475) a week, says he spends about £500 (RM2,790) to £600 (RM3,350) each month on his total living expenses.
Having recently completed his undergraduate degree in Melbourne, Australia, Kingston says that meals served in restaurants do not vary much from those in Melbourne, but adds that groceries, clothings and books are much cheaper in the UK.
It is also to experience a different lifestyle with the locals and international students, says this friendly and outgoing lad.
However, it is the reverse for 22-year-old Ooi Kean Shean, who says there is nothing like bringing that experience back home.
Currently in his fourth year, Kean Shean, did a twinning programme at Penang Medical College with the Dublin Royal College of Surgeons Ireland.
“I plan to start working in Malaysia, so it is much better to finish my course here and familiarise myself with the types of diseases in this region.”
Although he wished he could have stayed in longer in the UK, the soon-to-be doctor says that he is happy to be back for he can now focus on his studies and “let go of the little things such as household chores so that I can focus on my studies”.
Employment
For many students, the biggest reason for going overseas to complete their tertiary education is to enhance their employability prospects.
But working professionals say that a new graduate should be able to prove that he is competent and has the soft skills.
Tan says that “going overseas may help a student build his self-confidence, but that is not a guarantee that an overseas graduate would be better than a local graduate.”
S. Chan, a human resource officer from a leading accounting firm, says that when hiring graduates, what matters is not so much the institution they graduate from — rather, it is their attitude and the recognition they get in their respective fields that matter.
Chan adds that for specialised fields like accounting, it is more important to be certified by an accounting professional body, and successful applicants are usually those who are able to speak and present themselves well.
Futurestep ASEAN client development leader Lee Beng Khim says that while most multinational companies may require candidates to have minimum qualifications like a diploma or a degree, the candidate’s work experience typically plays an important role.
“Some multinational companies may prefer candidates from foreign universities because of the perception that they are typically more exposed to different nationalities and cultures and have better communication and interpersonal skills, enabling them to cope better in a matrix organisation.”
At the end of the day, Lee says that motivation is the fundamental factor.
If a candidate has all the relevant experience but is not motivated or does not have that ‘drive’ to do the job, then he or she will not be successful, he adds.
Lessons learnt abroad
By ALYCIA LIM
It is not the learning alone, but the total experience that lures our students to foreign shores.
WITH the strong value of the British pound and the Australian and the US (United States) dollar against the Malaysian Ringgit, one would think that local parents will refrain from sending their children abroad for studies. However, this does not seem to be the case.
There are already about 23,000 Malaysian students currently studying in Australian institutions of higher learning, over 13,000 in the United Kingdom (UK) and another 6,000 students in the US.
These numbers are poised to grow even further despite the bleak economic outlook. StarEducation spoke to education consultants, counsellors, students and parents to find out the “pull’’ factor and what attracts the ever increasing number of Malaysian students to foreign universities.
With so many institutions to choose from, Tony Tan, managing director of education consultancy Studylink says that he always asks students what they are looking for when they decide to study in another country.
“Some people may want to live in a city, but others may like to be in a quieter place. Of course, the cost factor plays a big role as well when deciding on where to go.”
Tan says that he has met many businessmen and executives who can afford to pay for their child’s education abroad, but when it comes to the crux of the matter — that is on deciding on the institution itself — they rely on word-of-mouth from friends and relatives, to get a better idea and to be assured.
Unfortunately, this may not always be the best option for the student, as university rankings may be misleading at times, especially when a student is already interested in a particular course.
“Instead of looking at the rankings, what is more important is for students to know what they want, and find a suitable institution that best fits their needs,” he says.
Parents and students often enrol in an institution based on the university’s ranking, but often end up feeling shortchanged as they do not experience what they had hoped for.
Studying Down Under
One of the most popular study destinations amongst Malaysians is Australia.
Australian Education International education counsellor Louise McSorley says, “Australia is a popular choice amongst Malaysians because of its close proximity to home.
“Parents may also feel more comfortable and assured knowing that their child is only a few hours away by flight.”
She adds that there may also be a sense of familiarity amongst Malaysian students, because there are already many Asians in Australia and students may be able to assimilate better into the community without going through too much of a culture shock.
For Conie Wee, 22, a pharmacy student in the University of South Australia, her decision to study in Adelaide was made after careful consideration.
“Coming from Kota Baru, I wanted to experience studying in a different environment while still living in a laid back place.
“I decided to come to Adelaide in Australia, because apart from the environment, I also felt I was more used to the Australian education system as opposed to the US education system. The UK was not an option at all as it was quite expensive at the time I applied for a place in university.”
Fortunately for her, fitting into the study environment in Adelaide was smooth sailing, as she was lucky enough to meet people who helped her find her footing.
“All I had to do was to ask, and the people around were more than willing to help.”
Tan says that instead of looking at rankings alone, students should decide on finding an institution that fits their requirements.
Living in Adelaide turned out to be a pleasant experience for C. Kughan, 21, who believes that the greatest advantage one has in studying in the city is the fact that it is close to home.
He adds, “I love the laid back culture and the beaches here are beautiful!”
As for living costs, both Conie and Kughan say they spend about A$1,200 (RM3,740) per month on living expenses, including rental.
But over in the state of Victoria, Tasha Amir, 24, who currently studies in the University of Melbourne, pays much more for her city life.
Living in a studio apartment, Tasha forks out A$1,200 (RM3,740) for rental alone each month, plus about A$700 (RM2,180) for food, transport, and entertainment.
In response to the high lodging cost, Louise says, “housing is getting more expensive, but it is not just the students who are paying a lot to live in the city. The economy is booming, and more people are drifting to urban areas, so it is advisable for students to sort out their lodging before they leave.”
Albeit the high living costs, Tasha’s father, Amir Hassan, who is an IT consultant says: “Studying overseas really helped me as it opened my eyes and made me see things from a different perspective. I was lucky to get a government scholarship then because my parents could not afford to send me overseas.
“Since I can afford to send my children overseas, I want them to share and enjoy that experience.”
Asked if he wants his daughter to live in Australia, Amir says he sent her overseas not only to get an education but to let her see the good and bad sides of both countries.
“No place is perfect, and by going to Australia, I hope she gains all the exposure learning about a different culture, and eventually come back to Malaysia to be an element of change here for our country,” he shares.
What about the US?
Dr Coffman: The US is seen as an alternative because tuition fees have not gone up.
With such high costs involved in sending their children to Australia, many parents are also now looking at alternatives.
According to Open Doors 2009, an annual report on student mobility, there has been a 9.5% increase in the enrolment of Malaysian students to the US since last year. Malaysia ranks 21 in the order of countries sending their students to the United States. Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange executive director Dr James Coffman says, “More Malaysians are looking at the US as an alternative for their tertiary studies because tuition fees have not gone up as much compared to the UK and Australia. He adds that accommodation costs are much more affordable, ranging from US$300 (RM1,020) to US$1,500 (RM5,000) per month, although students who are keen on studying in bigger cities like Boston, New York and areas in California will be incurring higher rentals and expenses.
Student Edeleen Lunjew, who is currently doing her undergraduate studies at North Dakota State University majoring in Psychology, decided to try the best of both worlds.
Taking a 2+2 American Degree Programme in a local private college, she managed to get some experience studying locally, and moved to the US in her final two years of study.
Wanting to experience what her parents experienced, Edeleen says that she decided on going to the US as her parents had lived there while her father was pursuing a Masters degree.
Edeleen pays US$290 (RM980) each month on rental and bills and about another US$300 (RM1,020) for other expenses.
UK still attractive
According to the British Council, Malaysians are present in all parts of the UK, although most students prefer larger cities like London, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham and Liverpool due to familiarity.
There has also been a sudden increase in the student intake last year due to the weakening of the British Pound.
Statistics from the British Council’s Higher Education Student Data showed a jump in numbers, from 11,870 students in 2007, to 13,390 students in 2008.
University of Portsmouth Masters degree student Kingston Liu, who lives in a student dormitory that costs £85 (RM475) a week, says he spends about £500 (RM2,790) to £600 (RM3,350) each month on his total living expenses.
Having recently completed his undergraduate degree in Melbourne, Australia, Kingston says that meals served in restaurants do not vary much from those in Melbourne, but adds that groceries, clothings and books are much cheaper in the UK.
It is also to experience a different lifestyle with the locals and international students, says this friendly and outgoing lad.
However, it is the reverse for 22-year-old Ooi Kean Shean, who says there is nothing like bringing that experience back home.
Currently in his fourth year, Kean Shean, did a twinning programme at Penang Medical College with the Dublin Royal College of Surgeons Ireland.
“I plan to start working in Malaysia, so it is much better to finish my course here and familiarise myself with the types of diseases in this region.”
Although he wished he could have stayed in longer in the UK, the soon-to-be doctor says that he is happy to be back for he can now focus on his studies and “let go of the little things such as household chores so that I can focus on my studies”.
Employment
For many students, the biggest reason for going overseas to complete their tertiary education is to enhance their employability prospects.
But working professionals say that a new graduate should be able to prove that he is competent and has the soft skills.
Tan says that “going overseas may help a student build his self-confidence, but that is not a guarantee that an overseas graduate would be better than a local graduate.”
S. Chan, a human resource officer from a leading accounting firm, says that when hiring graduates, what matters is not so much the institution they graduate from — rather, it is their attitude and the recognition they get in their respective fields that matter.
Chan adds that for specialised fields like accounting, it is more important to be certified by an accounting professional body, and successful applicants are usually those who are able to speak and present themselves well.
Futurestep ASEAN client development leader Lee Beng Khim says that while most multinational companies may require candidates to have minimum qualifications like a diploma or a degree, the candidate’s work experience typically plays an important role.
“Some multinational companies may prefer candidates from foreign universities because of the perception that they are typically more exposed to different nationalities and cultures and have better communication and interpersonal skills, enabling them to cope better in a matrix organisation.”
At the end of the day, Lee says that motivation is the fundamental factor.
If a candidate has all the relevant experience but is not motivated or does not have that ‘drive’ to do the job, then he or she will not be successful, he adds.
The role of the board in succession planning
Friday November 27, 2009
The role of the board in succession planning
Whose Business Is It Anyway? - By John Zinkin
FRANCE’S President De Gaulle is reputed to have said the cemeteries of the world are filled with the graves of indispensable men.
The sad truth is nobody is indispensable and therefore succession planning is critical to the sustained success of any organisation.
Yet time and again, boards fail to plan succession effectively.
In case boards think succession planning is an operational problem, or is too sensitive for them to get involved in, directors must remember that it is in fact one of the six principal responsibilities of a board.
The Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance makes it quite clear that boards must oversee: “Succession planning, including appointing, training, fixing the compensation of and where appropriate, replacing senior management.”
Chapter 1 of the Green Book on Enhancing Board Effectiveness reinforces this, stating that boards of government-linked companies are responsible for selecting the CEO and proactively planning for succession as well as understanding the pool of future leaders.
Many boards do a good job of finding and replacing CEOs. Few, however, understand the bench of talent below the CEO, consisting of the organisation’s first and second line.
Yet it is their responsibility to know these people well enough to make informed judgments when their names come up for review.
Boards must therefore realise that they are not just responsible for making sure that the right CEO is appointed and that he/she is performing according to their expectations; they are also responsible for ensuring that the senior management members are fit for key roles.
This means boards must understand the key jobs in the first and second line of management, what the responsibilities entail, the required skills and competencies to do the jobs, the appropriate personality attributes, and of course the required values, which I discussed in my last article.
They then must have a clear picture of how each candidate for the jobs in question fits these parameters: Do they have the necessary skills and competencies? If not, can they acquire them in the time available before moving into the job? Do they have the right temperament for the job?
Not all senior jobs require the same personality characteristics, and putting people with the wrong temperament into jobs can be a guarantee of failure, even if they appear to have the right skills and competencies.
As Peter Senge pointed out, there are three types of leaders: captains, navigators and shipbuilders. They have quite different skills and temperaments.
Captains are good at deciding where they are going, when they will leave port, when they need to arrive, and at allocating crew responsibilities accordingly.
They are in their element when the ocean gets really rough and unpredictable.
They are highly skilled at energising the crew to do the right things at the right moment, and this is never more important than in a typhoon that risks sinking the ship.
Captains must be good communicators, as the phrase “this is your captain speaking” makes clear.
Navigators are skilled at plotting courses once they know where they are going and how long they have to get there.
They will evaluate all the options and advise their captains on the best route to take, what course corrections are likely to be needed and they track progress continuously to make sure that when the typhoon strikes, they can take avoiding action and still get back on course.
From a technical perspective, navigators need higher levels of skill than captains, though their interpersonal skills do not have to be as highly developed as they have less communicating to do.
Like captains, navigators must keep calm in typhoons and work out alternative courses of action for their captains to take.
Thus good captains need good navigators to succeed. Yet both need good shipbuilders, for if the ship is poorly built, it will not respond to the navigator’s course corrections.
It will not matter how effective the captain is in telling the crew what to do; the ship will still run onto the rocks and sink.
So shipbuilders are essential. But we need to remember that good shipbuilders build ships in dry docks.
Temperamentally they are not good at dealing with typhoons. They need the certainty of dry land and are less good at handling the uncertainty of the ocean.
They are not quick decision-makers, but great project managers instead. Putting a good shipbuilder in the role of a captain or navigator in a typhoon is to ask for trouble.
Successful companies need these three types of leaders at all levels in the organisation and they must be able to work together.
Boards must recognise this and understand which type of leader they are dealing with in succession planning lest they choose wrongly and risk sinking the ship.
• The writer is CEO of Securities Industry Development Corp, the training and development arm of the Securities Commission.
The role of the board in succession planning
Whose Business Is It Anyway? - By John Zinkin
FRANCE’S President De Gaulle is reputed to have said the cemeteries of the world are filled with the graves of indispensable men.
The sad truth is nobody is indispensable and therefore succession planning is critical to the sustained success of any organisation.
Yet time and again, boards fail to plan succession effectively.
In case boards think succession planning is an operational problem, or is too sensitive for them to get involved in, directors must remember that it is in fact one of the six principal responsibilities of a board.
The Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance makes it quite clear that boards must oversee: “Succession planning, including appointing, training, fixing the compensation of and where appropriate, replacing senior management.”
Chapter 1 of the Green Book on Enhancing Board Effectiveness reinforces this, stating that boards of government-linked companies are responsible for selecting the CEO and proactively planning for succession as well as understanding the pool of future leaders.
Many boards do a good job of finding and replacing CEOs. Few, however, understand the bench of talent below the CEO, consisting of the organisation’s first and second line.
Yet it is their responsibility to know these people well enough to make informed judgments when their names come up for review.
Boards must therefore realise that they are not just responsible for making sure that the right CEO is appointed and that he/she is performing according to their expectations; they are also responsible for ensuring that the senior management members are fit for key roles.
This means boards must understand the key jobs in the first and second line of management, what the responsibilities entail, the required skills and competencies to do the jobs, the appropriate personality attributes, and of course the required values, which I discussed in my last article.
They then must have a clear picture of how each candidate for the jobs in question fits these parameters: Do they have the necessary skills and competencies? If not, can they acquire them in the time available before moving into the job? Do they have the right temperament for the job?
Not all senior jobs require the same personality characteristics, and putting people with the wrong temperament into jobs can be a guarantee of failure, even if they appear to have the right skills and competencies.
As Peter Senge pointed out, there are three types of leaders: captains, navigators and shipbuilders. They have quite different skills and temperaments.
Captains are good at deciding where they are going, when they will leave port, when they need to arrive, and at allocating crew responsibilities accordingly.
They are in their element when the ocean gets really rough and unpredictable.
They are highly skilled at energising the crew to do the right things at the right moment, and this is never more important than in a typhoon that risks sinking the ship.
Captains must be good communicators, as the phrase “this is your captain speaking” makes clear.
Navigators are skilled at plotting courses once they know where they are going and how long they have to get there.
They will evaluate all the options and advise their captains on the best route to take, what course corrections are likely to be needed and they track progress continuously to make sure that when the typhoon strikes, they can take avoiding action and still get back on course.
From a technical perspective, navigators need higher levels of skill than captains, though their interpersonal skills do not have to be as highly developed as they have less communicating to do.
Like captains, navigators must keep calm in typhoons and work out alternative courses of action for their captains to take.
Thus good captains need good navigators to succeed. Yet both need good shipbuilders, for if the ship is poorly built, it will not respond to the navigator’s course corrections.
It will not matter how effective the captain is in telling the crew what to do; the ship will still run onto the rocks and sink.
So shipbuilders are essential. But we need to remember that good shipbuilders build ships in dry docks.
Temperamentally they are not good at dealing with typhoons. They need the certainty of dry land and are less good at handling the uncertainty of the ocean.
They are not quick decision-makers, but great project managers instead. Putting a good shipbuilder in the role of a captain or navigator in a typhoon is to ask for trouble.
Successful companies need these three types of leaders at all levels in the organisation and they must be able to work together.
Boards must recognise this and understand which type of leader they are dealing with in succession planning lest they choose wrongly and risk sinking the ship.
• The writer is CEO of Securities Industry Development Corp, the training and development arm of the Securities Commission.
Country profile: Iran
I remember 1979 was the year I went to the US to study at an American university after my MCE results. I was detained briefly at New York immigration office upon arrival as a suspected Iranian student seeking asylum and my visa / document papers were scrutinized for many hours. Actually, it was my name that caught the immigration officer’s attention. It translates into the meaning of three kings and that I may be related to the Shah of Iran. That incident opens my eyes to international politics and later and quickly, I truly understood what discrimination in America means. Global politics and religious hatred have affected me so much that day. Where is Malaysia they later ask me? Ignorance and hatred feelings that day have blinded and overcome the most advance nation where I was send to study into chaos, emotional and phobias. For the rest of my stay for the next 7 years in this great country were both a culture shock and also an educational experience. Now, after 30 years, I still can sense that these global phobias, profiling and discrimination are there but guised and transformed into a different form to conveniently suit this different times.
Country profile: Iran
Iran became a unique Islamic republic in 1979, when the monarchy was overthrown and religious clerics assumed political control under supreme leader Ayatollah Khomenei.
The Iranian revolution put an end to the rule of the Shah, who had alienated powerful religious and political forces with a program of modernization and Westernization.
Persia, as Iran was known before 1935, was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, and the country has long maintained a distinct cultural identity within the Islamic world by retaining its own language and adhering to the Shia interpretation of Islam.
In 2002, US President George W Bush declared Iran as part of an "axis of evil". Washington accuses it of undermining its efforts in Iraq and of trying to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran, which is building its first atomic power station with Russian help, says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
AT-A-GLANCE
• Politics: Conservatives have kept reformers at bay and retain power in the complex system of religious and democratic government
• Economy: Iran holds 9% of world oil reserves; a critical shortfall in jobs has hit the young
• International: Iran continues to defy international pressure over its nuclear programme; it is accused of funding terrorism and some fear its burgeoning regional influence
In 2006 the government announced that it had succeeded in enriching uranium. President Ahmadinejad said Iran has an "inalienable right" to produce nuclear fuel.
The country has an abundance of energy resources - substantial oil reserves and natural gas reserves second only to those of Russia.
Iran has been led by a conservative elite since 1979, but appeared to be entering another era of political and social transformation with the victory of the liberals in parliamentary elections in 2000.
But the reformists, kept on the political defensive by powerful conservatives in the government and judiciary, failed to make good on their promises.
Former President Mohammad Khatami's support for greater social and political freedoms made him popular with the young - an important factor as around half of the population is under 25.
But his liberal ideas put him at odds with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and hardliners reluctant to lose sight of established Islamic traditions.
The elections of June 2005 dealt a blow to the reformists when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran's ultra-conservative mayor, became president.
Mr Ahmadinejad's controversial re-election in June 2009 has further widened the rift between conservatives and reformists within Iran's political establishment.
• Full name: Islamic Republic of Iran
• Population: 72.2 million (UN, 2008)
• Capital: Tehran
• Area: 1.65 million sq km (636,313 sq miles)
• Major language: Persian
• Major religion: Islam
• Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 10 Iranian rials = 1 toman
• Main exports: Petroleum, carpets, agricultural products
• GNI per capita: US $3,470 (World Bank, 2007)
• Internet domain: .ir
• International dialling code: +98
Supreme leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The Supreme Leader - the highest power in the land - appoints the head of the judiciary, military leaders, the head of radio and TV and Friday prayer leaders. He also confirms the election of Iran's president.
Moreover, the Supreme Leader selects six members of the 12-member Guardian Council, an influential body which has to pass all legislation and which can veto would-be election candidates.
The Leader is chosen by the clerics who make up the Assembly of Experts. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was appointed for life in June 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic. He previously served two consecutive terms as president in the 1980s.
He has intervened on behalf of conservatives, coming into conflict with former president Mohammad Khatami and other reformists.
Ayatollah Khamenei endorsed the results of the disputed presidential election of June 2009, which gave a landslide victory and a second term to his ally, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
However, the unprecedented defiance by opposition supporters to his call for an end to street protests against the result is thought to have undermined his authority.
Ayatollah Khamenei's subsequent statement that there was no proof that opposition leaders blamed for the post-election unrest had acted for foreign powers appeared to signal a more conciliatory stance towards the reformists.
President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected as Iran's president in June 2009, amid a bitterly contested poll result which led to the most serious internal unrest seen in the country since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Official results from the 12 June election said that Mr Ahmadinejad had won 62.6% of the vote, while his closest challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, received 33.8%.
Amid claims of fraud and vote-rigging, opposition supporters took to the streets. Around 20 people were killed and more than 1,000 arrested in the wave of protests that followed.
As tensions escalated, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw his weight behind Mr Ahmadinejad, while the powerful Guardian Council confirmed the result and ruled out any annulment. He was sworn in for his second term in August 2009.
The Iranian authorities claimed foreign interference was stoking the unrest, and singled out Britain for criticism.
Outspoken style
The ultra-conservative Mr Ahmadinejad served as Tehran's mayor before winning a run-off vote in elections in June 2005, defeating his rival, the former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, to become Iran's first non-cleric president for 24 years.
Much of his support came from poorer and more religious sections of Iran's rapidly growing population, particularly outside Tehran.
Promising an administration of "peace and moderation", he said his government would press on with Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
His outspoken style and hard anti-Western line have often caused outrage abroad, most notably in 2005, when he made a controversial statement in which he envisaged the replacement of Israel with a Palestinian state, and described the Holocaust as a "myth". He denied implying a threat to Israel.
Local elections in December 2006 - his first major test at the polls since coming to power - saw his allies trailing moderate conservatives and reformists.
But parliamentary elections in March 2008 - in which many pro-reform candidates were disbarred from standing - saw a strong showing not only by the president's supporters but also by more pragmatic conservatives who oppose his confrontational style of dealing with western countries.
In 2008, he faced mounting criticism of his handling of the economy, with hardship on the rise as a result of falling oil prices and the UN sanctions imposed in response to Iran's nuclear programme.
Born near Tehran in 1956, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a former provincial governor and Revolutionary Guards officer. He was actively involved in the Islamic revolution and was a founding member of the student union that took over the US embassy in Tehran in 1979. But he denies being one of the hostage-takers.
The struggle for influence and power in Iran is played out in the media.
The relatively free press, a tangible achievement of former President Khatami's government, has been targeted by conservatives. Many pro-reform publications have been closed and reformist writers and editors jailed. The conservative judiciary has also campaigned against the liberal media.
There are some 20 major national dailies, but few Iranians buy a newspaper every day. Sports titles are the biggest sellers.
Broadcasters are more restricted than the press. Despite a ban on owning dishes, foreign satellite TV channels are widely watched; this is largely tolerated by the authorities. Stations operated by exiles in the US were said to have played a role in student protests in 2003.
State-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting - IRIB - operates national and provincial networks. Its Jaam-e Jam international TV channels are available worldwide via satellite. IRIB targets Arabic speakers in Iraq and the Middle East via the Al-Alam and Al-Kawthar TV networks.
It launched an English-language satellite station, Press TV, in 2007. President Ahmadinejad said its mission would be "to stand by the oppressed of the world".
Television is very popular, with more than 80% of Iranians being regular viewers. The most-watched network is the third state channel, the youth channel.
IRIB's radio channels include a parliamentary network and Radio Koran. The Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an external radio service, broadcasts via shortwave and the internet.
By early 2008 there were around 23 million internet users (InternetWorldStats). The web is the main forum for dissident voices. Access is easy to arrange and affordable for middle-class households.
However, service providers are prevented from allowing access to sites deemed to be pornographic or anti-Islamic.
News sites are becoming increasingly important in providing information and insight. They often have strong political leanings. There are tens of thousands of weblogs, with bloggers active both in Iran and among the diaspora. Officials, including President Ahmadinezhad, have launched blogs.
Foreign broadcasters target Iranian audiences. They include BBC Persian TV, whose satellite broadcasts suffered from deliberate interference from within Iran following disputed elections in June 2009.
The press
•
- English-language daily, published by state-run body
• - English-language, published by official news agency IRNA
• - English-language
• - reformist daily
• - conservative daily
• - conservative daily
• - reformist daily
• - owned by National Trust Party leader Mehdi Karrubi
• - conservative daily
• - large-circulation daily, published by IRIB, reflects broadcaster's editorial line
Television
•
- state-run, operates four national networks, provincial and international services
• - IRIB's English-language satellite channel
Radio
•
- state-run, operates eight national networks, provincial services and an external service
News agencies
•
- state-run
• - English-language pages
• - affiliated to Revolutionary Guards, English-language pages
• - affiliated to Islamic Propagation Organisation, English-language pages
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/790877.stm
Published: 2009/11/04 16:58:48 GMT
Country profile: Iran
Iran became a unique Islamic republic in 1979, when the monarchy was overthrown and religious clerics assumed political control under supreme leader Ayatollah Khomenei.
The Iranian revolution put an end to the rule of the Shah, who had alienated powerful religious and political forces with a program of modernization and Westernization.
Persia, as Iran was known before 1935, was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, and the country has long maintained a distinct cultural identity within the Islamic world by retaining its own language and adhering to the Shia interpretation of Islam.
In 2002, US President George W Bush declared Iran as part of an "axis of evil". Washington accuses it of undermining its efforts in Iraq and of trying to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran, which is building its first atomic power station with Russian help, says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
AT-A-GLANCE
• Politics: Conservatives have kept reformers at bay and retain power in the complex system of religious and democratic government
• Economy: Iran holds 9% of world oil reserves; a critical shortfall in jobs has hit the young
• International: Iran continues to defy international pressure over its nuclear programme; it is accused of funding terrorism and some fear its burgeoning regional influence
In 2006 the government announced that it had succeeded in enriching uranium. President Ahmadinejad said Iran has an "inalienable right" to produce nuclear fuel.
The country has an abundance of energy resources - substantial oil reserves and natural gas reserves second only to those of Russia.
Iran has been led by a conservative elite since 1979, but appeared to be entering another era of political and social transformation with the victory of the liberals in parliamentary elections in 2000.
But the reformists, kept on the political defensive by powerful conservatives in the government and judiciary, failed to make good on their promises.
Former President Mohammad Khatami's support for greater social and political freedoms made him popular with the young - an important factor as around half of the population is under 25.
But his liberal ideas put him at odds with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and hardliners reluctant to lose sight of established Islamic traditions.
The elections of June 2005 dealt a blow to the reformists when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran's ultra-conservative mayor, became president.
Mr Ahmadinejad's controversial re-election in June 2009 has further widened the rift between conservatives and reformists within Iran's political establishment.
• Full name: Islamic Republic of Iran
• Population: 72.2 million (UN, 2008)
• Capital: Tehran
• Area: 1.65 million sq km (636,313 sq miles)
• Major language: Persian
• Major religion: Islam
• Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 10 Iranian rials = 1 toman
• Main exports: Petroleum, carpets, agricultural products
• GNI per capita: US $3,470 (World Bank, 2007)
• Internet domain: .ir
• International dialling code: +98
Supreme leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The Supreme Leader - the highest power in the land - appoints the head of the judiciary, military leaders, the head of radio and TV and Friday prayer leaders. He also confirms the election of Iran's president.
Moreover, the Supreme Leader selects six members of the 12-member Guardian Council, an influential body which has to pass all legislation and which can veto would-be election candidates.
The Leader is chosen by the clerics who make up the Assembly of Experts. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was appointed for life in June 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic. He previously served two consecutive terms as president in the 1980s.
He has intervened on behalf of conservatives, coming into conflict with former president Mohammad Khatami and other reformists.
Ayatollah Khamenei endorsed the results of the disputed presidential election of June 2009, which gave a landslide victory and a second term to his ally, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
However, the unprecedented defiance by opposition supporters to his call for an end to street protests against the result is thought to have undermined his authority.
Ayatollah Khamenei's subsequent statement that there was no proof that opposition leaders blamed for the post-election unrest had acted for foreign powers appeared to signal a more conciliatory stance towards the reformists.
President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected as Iran's president in June 2009, amid a bitterly contested poll result which led to the most serious internal unrest seen in the country since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Official results from the 12 June election said that Mr Ahmadinejad had won 62.6% of the vote, while his closest challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, received 33.8%.
Amid claims of fraud and vote-rigging, opposition supporters took to the streets. Around 20 people were killed and more than 1,000 arrested in the wave of protests that followed.
As tensions escalated, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw his weight behind Mr Ahmadinejad, while the powerful Guardian Council confirmed the result and ruled out any annulment. He was sworn in for his second term in August 2009.
The Iranian authorities claimed foreign interference was stoking the unrest, and singled out Britain for criticism.
Outspoken style
The ultra-conservative Mr Ahmadinejad served as Tehran's mayor before winning a run-off vote in elections in June 2005, defeating his rival, the former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, to become Iran's first non-cleric president for 24 years.
Much of his support came from poorer and more religious sections of Iran's rapidly growing population, particularly outside Tehran.
Promising an administration of "peace and moderation", he said his government would press on with Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
His outspoken style and hard anti-Western line have often caused outrage abroad, most notably in 2005, when he made a controversial statement in which he envisaged the replacement of Israel with a Palestinian state, and described the Holocaust as a "myth". He denied implying a threat to Israel.
Local elections in December 2006 - his first major test at the polls since coming to power - saw his allies trailing moderate conservatives and reformists.
But parliamentary elections in March 2008 - in which many pro-reform candidates were disbarred from standing - saw a strong showing not only by the president's supporters but also by more pragmatic conservatives who oppose his confrontational style of dealing with western countries.
In 2008, he faced mounting criticism of his handling of the economy, with hardship on the rise as a result of falling oil prices and the UN sanctions imposed in response to Iran's nuclear programme.
Born near Tehran in 1956, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a former provincial governor and Revolutionary Guards officer. He was actively involved in the Islamic revolution and was a founding member of the student union that took over the US embassy in Tehran in 1979. But he denies being one of the hostage-takers.
The struggle for influence and power in Iran is played out in the media.
The relatively free press, a tangible achievement of former President Khatami's government, has been targeted by conservatives. Many pro-reform publications have been closed and reformist writers and editors jailed. The conservative judiciary has also campaigned against the liberal media.
There are some 20 major national dailies, but few Iranians buy a newspaper every day. Sports titles are the biggest sellers.
Broadcasters are more restricted than the press. Despite a ban on owning dishes, foreign satellite TV channels are widely watched; this is largely tolerated by the authorities. Stations operated by exiles in the US were said to have played a role in student protests in 2003.
State-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting - IRIB - operates national and provincial networks. Its Jaam-e Jam international TV channels are available worldwide via satellite. IRIB targets Arabic speakers in Iraq and the Middle East via the Al-Alam and Al-Kawthar TV networks.
It launched an English-language satellite station, Press TV, in 2007. President Ahmadinejad said its mission would be "to stand by the oppressed of the world".
Television is very popular, with more than 80% of Iranians being regular viewers. The most-watched network is the third state channel, the youth channel.
IRIB's radio channels include a parliamentary network and Radio Koran. The Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an external radio service, broadcasts via shortwave and the internet.
By early 2008 there were around 23 million internet users (InternetWorldStats). The web is the main forum for dissident voices. Access is easy to arrange and affordable for middle-class households.
However, service providers are prevented from allowing access to sites deemed to be pornographic or anti-Islamic.
News sites are becoming increasingly important in providing information and insight. They often have strong political leanings. There are tens of thousands of weblogs, with bloggers active both in Iran and among the diaspora. Officials, including President Ahmadinezhad, have launched blogs.
Foreign broadcasters target Iranian audiences. They include BBC Persian TV, whose satellite broadcasts suffered from deliberate interference from within Iran following disputed elections in June 2009.
The press
•
- English-language daily, published by state-run body
• - English-language, published by official news agency IRNA
• - English-language
• - reformist daily
• - conservative daily
• - conservative daily
• - reformist daily
• - owned by National Trust Party leader Mehdi Karrubi
• - conservative daily
• - large-circulation daily, published by IRIB, reflects broadcaster's editorial line
Television
•
- state-run, operates four national networks, provincial and international services
• - IRIB's English-language satellite channel
Radio
•
- state-run, operates eight national networks, provincial services and an external service
News agencies
•
- state-run
• - English-language pages
• - affiliated to Revolutionary Guards, English-language pages
• - affiliated to Islamic Propagation Organisation, English-language pages
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/790877.stm
Published: 2009/11/04 16:58:48 GMT
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