Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Listen With Your Eyes: Top 10 Nonverbal Communication Tips

Nonverbal communication is the single most powerful form of communication. The best communicators are sensitive to the power of the emotions and thoughts communicated nonverbally. Understanding nonverbal communication improves with practice. The first step in practice is to recognize the power of nonverbal communication.
Multicultural differences in body language, facial expression, use of space, and especially, gestures, are enormous and enormously open to misinterpretation. If you want to mask your feelings or your immediate reaction to information, pay close attention to your nonverbal behavior. Especially to a skilled reader of nonverbal cues, most of us are really open books.
Top Ten Nonverbal Communication Tips
  1. Pay Attention to Nonverbal Signals.
  2. Look for Incongruent Behaviors.
  3. Concentrate on Your Tone of Voice When Speaking.
  4. Use Good Eye Contact.
  5. Ask Questions About Nonverbal Signals.
  6. Use Signals to Make Communication More Effective and Meaningful.
  7. Look at Signals as a Group.
  8. Consider Context/ situation.
  9. Be Aware That Signals Can be Misread.
  10. Practice, Practice, Practice.
To gauge your expertise in interpreting nonverbal communication, take these nonverbal communication interpretation quiz questions from the University of California at Santa Cruz. This is a useful Dictionary of Nonverbal Gestures, Signs and Body Language Cues. Check out the pictures that illustrate hundreds of nonverbal communication manners.

The global battle for food, oil and water

At Davos a year ago, the business and finance crowd were still full of the joys of globalisation, while it was the people dealing with international politics who were spreading alarm and despondency. This year the roles were reversed. While the financiers are frightened, the politicians and diplomats are going through a relatively calm period. There is less bloodshed in Iraq; the chances of war between the US and Iran have receded.
The costs of food and energy are rising fast. The availability of water is also becoming an issue, from Australia to Africa. The struggle for these three basic commodities – food, energy and water – came up repeatedly in Davos.
Globalisation – in particular the rise of China and India – is driving a lot of these changes. The world oil price has risen by 80 per cent over the past 12 months and China alone has accounted for about 40 per cent of the increase in oil demand. Global food prices have gone up by about 50 per cent this year. There are short-term reasons for this, such as a drought in Australia and pig disease in China. But the biggest long-term driver of increased prices is growing wealth in China and India.
Urbanisation and industrialisation are both increasing demand for water, at a time when climate change is disrupting supply. The food, energy and water problems all touch on each other. America’s pursuit of alternatives to oil has led to massive investment in biofuels made from maize. That in turn has cut the amount of maize being used for food production and so contributed to rising food prices. The production of biofuels is also very water-intensive. Meanwhile, increased demand for agricultural land to grow more food is leading to the clearing of forest in Brazil – which could worsen global warming – leading to further stress on the world’s water supplies. The potential for political conflicts increases along with the rise in food, energy and water prices. Water shortages had helped to cause the conflict in Darfur. All of these examples are confined within national boundaries. But competition for food, water and energy could also provoke conflict between countries.
The theme of this year’s World Economic Forum was meant to be “collaborative innovation”. It is difficult to think of anything less collaborative or innovative than a new era of resource wars.

Monday, January 28, 2008

The world's greenest countries

Yale University's ranking of 149 countries according to an environmental performance index (EPI)--a weighting of carbon and sulfur emissions, water purity and conservation practices. The top five are Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Costa Rica. Although most developed nations do better, some developing countries do exceptionally good. VN and Laos make it 76 and 101 respectively. Cambodia ranks 136 with the score of 53.8, meaning it is one of the most polluted places to live.

Obituary: Indonesia’s Suharto

The lessons Cambodia could learn from Indonesia: growing and stable while corrupt and authoritarian...
Suharto, the former Indonesian strongman who died Sunday at the age of 86, was reviled as the man who brought Indonesia to its knees when his 32-year rule ended in a frenzy of violence, corruption and economic collapse.
Suharto's achievements were significant, nonetheless. Over the 30 years leading up to the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Indonesia achieved an average economic growth of 7 per cent. Suharto opened the economy to the outside world, and attracted billions in foreign. His rule – oppressive as it was – also brought a measure of harmony to a multi-ethnic society. It kept the threat of extremist Islam in check in the world's largest Muslim nation.
During his rule his six children became notorious for profiting from everything from toll roads to the issuing of driving licences. Although Suharto liberalised the economy, he never nurtured the institutional strengths needed to underpin it. Regulation of the banking sector was weak, and the country was ill-equipped to withstand the economic crisis that hastened the end of his tenure.
Suharto's legacy remains a subject of passionate debate amongst the people he ruled. He led Indonesia out of chaos and built an economic tiger out of a turbulent, multi-ethnic nation. But the rule that began in chaos also ended in chaos, aggravated by the corruption he condoned and even encouraged. In the end, he was the architect of his own demise.


Thursday, January 24, 2008

Thailand warns Cambodia over Preah Vihear status

By roatha007
Thai defense ministry has warned Cambodia of possible arms conflicts if it seeks for world heritage status over Preah Vihear unilaterally. The act is a blunt threat and clearly shows that the arrogant country still attempts to control the temple nearly half a century after their defeat at the International Court. The case is an embarrassment for over-proud Thailand.
Why on earth should Cambodia needs approval from Thailand for its temple status. They have been encroaching the area almost up to the temple ladder. Ironically, they are afraid that their territory may be annexed by Cambodia if the status is approved (sic). Their border concern is just an excuse to disrupt the bidding process. Preah Vihear's status has nothing to do with Thailand. UNESCO designation has nothing to do with a country's boundary. Demarcation and marginal issues could be solved latter. Behind the scene, Thai gov't just want to flex their muscle to show that they are nationalist to compensate their shameful defeat. If the iconic, mountain-top temple is voted a world heritage site, their identity ( territory and culture) will be in question because the temple is too closed to their border. The entrance faces Thailand and is accessible only from its side. Some related temples are on Thai soil. Previously, it has voiced concern about the historical and topographical aspects of the temple: It shifted the attention to border issue instead to gain more legitimacy.
What else they want to prove or deceive the world while researchers around the globe know Thailand was originally a part of Khmer empire. It will also be a shame if the Cambodian government can't build a road to the temple from our side. It seems that we are so inferior that our historic monument doesn't deserve the status.
PS: The link to the original article on Bangkokpost's website is not available now. Maybe they deleted it to avoid serious troubles. Here is the facts from the Nation I have just found, which is a blow for the military.

Hidden Traps in Decision Makings

In making decisions, you may be at the mercy of your mind’s strange workings. Here’s how to catch thinking traps before they become judgment disasters.
Bad decisions can often be traced back to the way the decisions were made—the alternatives were not clearly defined, the right information was not collected, the costs and benefits were not accurately weighed. But sometimes the fault lies not in the decision-making process but rather in the mind of the decision maker. The way the human brain works can sabotage the choices we make.
There are eight psychological traps that can affect the way we make business decisions. The anchoring trap leads us to give disproportionate weight to the first information we receive. The status-quo trap biases us toward maintaining the current situation—even when better alternatives exist. The sunk-cost trap inclines us to perpetuate the mistakes of the past. The confirming-evidence trap leads us to seek out information supporting an existing predilection and to discount opposing information. The framing trap occurs when we misstate a problem, undermining the entire decision-making process. The overconfidence trap makes us overestimate the accuracy of our forecasts. The prudence trap leads us to be overcautious when we make estimates about uncertain events. And the recallability trap prompts us to give undue weight to recent, dramatic events.
The best way to avoid all the traps is awareness—forewarned is forearmed. But executives can also take other simple steps to protect themselves and their organizations from these mental lapses.

Lessons from Toyota's long drive

As Toyota becomes the world’s biggest automaker, the company finds its much-heralded ways of managing for the long term to be more important than ever before.
Toyota’s way is to measure everything—even the noise that car doors make when they open and close as workers perform their final inspections on newly manufactured automobiles. By any measure, whether esoteric or mundane, Toyota Motor Corporation has become one of the most successful companies in the world today.
Toyota’s ascension is best captured by the Japanese word jojo: “slowly, gradually, and steadily.” The company is proud of the fact that its management principles are different from those taught in B-schools. Senior executives take great pleasure in explaining that other companies find it difficult to emulate Toyota because its management tools matter less than its mind-set.
A series of interviews with Katsuaki Watanabe, Toyota’s 65-year-old president, and several executive vice presidents revealed that Toyota’s future will depend on its ability to strike the right balance—between the short term and the long term; between being a Japanese company and being a global company; between the manufacturing culture of Toyota City and the design culture of Los Angeles, where some of Toyota’s cars take shape; between the cautiousness of Toyota’s veterans, who are worried about growing too fast, and the confidence of its youngsters, who have seen only success. Toyota must also balance incremental improvements with radical reform.

Cooperation is key to helping Mekong Region

The Greater Sub-Mekong region, which also includes Cambodia, is benefiting from the prosperity,rivalry and perhaps the cooperation between Chian and Japan:
Japanese media said its gov't accelerated diplomatic and aid campaign in the Mekong River region is aimed at countering China's fast growing influence there, because China pursues a policy of "befriending, benefiting and reassuring its neighbors" and pushes for regional economic cooperation while increasing aid for the development of the region. These policies have allowed China's fast growing economy to benefit its neighbors in the Mekong River basin and helped enhance the region's prosperity and stability. China's relations with these countries have entered their best period in history. The situation has prompted some Japanese media entities to cry: "China's influence in that region has grown so much that it has surpassed Japan's."
As a matter of fact, competition and rivalry are not what the relationship between China and Japan's activities in the region is all about. There is a lot of room for the two countries to cooperate in helping the Mekong River region develop. The region faces a host of problems, including serious poverty, sorely inadequate infrastructure, environmental deterioration and a shortage of talent. It would greatly boost the region's development and stability if China and Japan joined hands to help the nations there solve these problems.
China and Japan can also help gear up the development of human resources of the Mekong River nations by channeling their rich manpower, advanced know-how and abundant material resources to the region and by improving local communities' health and sanitation standards.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Cambodian Bourse Planned for 2009

Financial Times, January 22 2008
South Korea's stock exchange and the Cambodian government have agreed to set up a stock exchange in Phnom Penh in 2009, the latest signal of the optimism sweeping the fast growing but deeply impoverished country.
Cambodia’s economy is booming, having grown an average of 9 per cent a year for the past decade, propelled by surging foreign tourist arrivals, garment exports, construction and improvements in agriculture, and Phnom Penh is today keen for all the trappings of a modern economy.
Most of the capital financing Cambodia’s rapid growth has come from external sources, including foreign aid and growing foreign direct investment. A senior World Bank official in Phnom Penh said Cambodia would increasingly need to rely on domestic savings. Local bank lending is surging. Credit to the private sector rose 60 per cent in 2007.
In spite of the rapid expansion, it is far from clear that Cambodia’s private sector, dominated by closely held family businesses, is ready to take the leap to go public. “The key issue will be to raise corporate governance standards,” the World Bank official said.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Tokyo Winter 2008

The snow comes at last! Just took a pic myself fr my freezing room on the third floor. Supposed to miss it this year. There was no snow in Tokyo last year, and snowing here is somehow rare. It had been snowing even in Kyushu, the island in the south. The geography here is not snowy-friendly. It's lucky to be able to enjoy the snow even one day; don't have to go skiing any more. Tokyorites don't like snowing, anyway. There may be snow only one day this year, just to make roads slippery!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Cambodia helped Japan save billions in war redress

Japan effectively bargained over war compensation paid to Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations after World War II, using as leverage Cambodia's 1954 offer to give up its claims to redress, according to archival documents released.
In October 1954, Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk communicated to Japan via a minister at the Cambodian Embassy in Japan his intent to give up the country's claims to compensation, hoping Japan in return would provide various forms of assistance.
Tokyo thanked Cambodia for the offer and told the minister Japan wanted to show this "example of a mutual offer and benefit based on trust and the spirit of friendship" to the other countries seeking huge amounts of compensation. Japan had been facing compensation demands of more than $ 10 billion from several countries, according to the diplomatic documents.

Japan team finds ancient water site in Cambodia

Japanese archaeologists said Monday they have found a man-made water channel in northwest Cambodia used for rituals as far back as the first century.
"Before, it was said that Khmer civilization started from the seventh to ninth century AD, but based on our research here, Khmer civilization went back to the first century AD," said Yoshinori Yasuda, a professor of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto. He said that the discovered water channel may be the world's oldest, or some 600 years older than the Tikal ruins in Guatemala in the seventh to ninth centuries.
A series of discovery by Western and Japanese researchers recently have helped promote Khmer civilzation and tourism. Still, the main actor is the Khmer themselves: People tend value only things belong to the rich and the powerful. The French first didn't believe Angkor was built by the Khmer, referring to their inferiority at that time.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

The Fish Within Us

What is most surprising is not that we once lived in the sea, but that we are still evolving. "Turning a fish into a human is like turning a Beetle into a hot rod," Shubin says. "As a species, we are actually kind of jury-rigged." In his new book, "Your Inner Fish," Shubin explains how a range of medical conditions, from hiccups to heart disease, are the byproducts of our clunky evolution. "The extraordinary disconnect between our past and our human present means that our bodies fall apart in certain predictable ways," he says. "Our circulatory systems are a good example. They were designed for activity, but we now have the lifestyles of spuds."
The good news is that natural selection may yet correct some of those inefficiencies. A study published in the December Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences found that not only are humans still evolving, but we are doing so at a faster rate than ever before, with genes that affect our diets and brains leading the race. "If humans had always evolved this rapidly, the difference between us and chimps would be 160 times greater than it actually is," says the study's lead author.

The findings have turned some traditional assumptions on their heads. For decades, biologists believed that human evolution had ground to a halt about 10,000 years ago, when the dawn of agriculture and technology gave us unprecedented control over our environments and made us masters of our own destiny. But rather than slow evolution down, those advances, Harpending says, enabled humanity to hit the accelerator. With better technology, our ranks have swelled from millions to billions. This has driven us to colonize more and different regions of the globe.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Egypt Turns Desert Into Farmland

A bird's-eye view shows the farming village of Abu Minqar in Egypt. The village is one of the extreme examples of the country's plan to ''green'' its deserts and transform the barren areas that consume most of the landscape into productive farms and fields. Its existence is proof that Egypt can set up farms anywhere. "There is no desert left at all," said Mohsen Nawara, manager of South Tahrir Station, a research farm founded by the Desert Development Center (DDC) of the American University in Cairo. "It's all green now."
Why should Cambodia be listed as one of the hunger hotspots on earth then...

Polynesians Descended From Taiwanese, Other East Asians

Archaeologists, linguists, and geneticists have spent decades pondering how humans settled the Pacific islands.
The ancestors of today's Polynesians and Micronesians were probably East Asians who quickly island-hopped through Near Oceania—what is now Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands—a new genetic study suggests.
The study also reveals that Melanesian peoples (those from Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji) harbor incredible genetic diversity—evidence of tens of thousands of years of relative isolation and a series of small migrations from Asia.


The Ethics of Talking Politics at Work

The hot-button issues of politics can lead to inflamed tempers that can impede your productivity—and possibly, your progress.
Along with sex, money, and religion, politics is one of the most controversial topics of conversation that exists. Money, more than sex, is the most personal aspect of our lives, and it is the one that opens us up to the greatest potential for embarrassment. Sex, too, is still an off-limits topic for discussion at work and not merely for the legal reasons relating to sexual harassment. Neither your salary nor your sex life is anyone's business at the office. Nor, for most professional settings, are your religious beliefs.
In considering whether it is appropriate to have political discussions on the job, five fundamental ethical principles are at stake: Do No Harm ; Make Things Better; Respect Others; Be Fair; Be Loving.
Simply put, we shouldn't discuss politics in the workplace because, with very few exceptions, these discussions have nothing to do with our job and can only interfere with it. Bottom line: the very real and important need for lively, informed, and vigorous debate is best met before and after one goes to work. Everyone in the body politic will be better off if this rule is treated with the respect it deserves.

Wind Beneat My Wings- September 23, 2001

Don't mean to use it as a propaganda for Bush wars. This song is so soul-catching that it nearly makes me can't hold my tear. It reminds us of our heroes and beloved ones who had passed away and done great jobs.

Is the word Yuon really literally derogatory?

By Navy Phim
I was reading Kenneth So's article on the word Yuon. I would like to submit my piece on it to your website also. It is an excerpt from my book "Reflections of a Khmer Soul. The word Yuon, like the term ethnic cleansing, has been a topic of many discussions in my journey. Yuon is a Khmer word that means Vietnamese. It is neither derogatory nor flattering. As we call Cambodia, Srok Khmer, we also called Vietnam Srok Yuon.In "Khmer Language and the Term Yuon," Bora Touch argues:To say that "yuon" means "savages," critics of the term are likely reliant on the Khmer Rouge's definition from KR Black Book (1978) p.9, a definition that is incorrect and baseless and was included by the KR for the purpose of propaganda. Some Khmer, including Khmer Krom, believe that "yuon" actually derives from "Yuonan," the Chinese word for Vietnam. Others believe it comes from the Yaun (Khan) dynasty, against whose armies both the Khmer and Cham did battle.But in Cambodia, Yuon has somehow become a politically incorrect word that some view as derogatory.Many Cambodian-Americans and local Cambodians disagree on the meaning of the word Yuon. If I were to accept that the meaning changed due to some occurrence in Cambodia and that people outside of Cambodia were out of the loop, I would hope that the world could accept that Yuon can still be used neutrally without a supposedly derogatory connotation. But I'm not convinced that the word has changed in meaning. I think people may change it for their own agenda. Unfortunately, it can bring misunderstanding and animosity when Yuon is used in Cambodia.The new acceptable term for Yuon is Vietnam. I also saw an Internet discussion asserting that the Laotian word for Vietnamese is Yuon or Kaew. To be able to live and have the dignity to use your language without others telling you that certain words have a negative connotation is a luxury that Cambodians do not have. Excerpt from "Reflections of a Khmer Soul"http://www.navyphim.com/

Friday, January 18, 2008

Measuring Liberty

Bush wars have a trade-off: freedom. Civil and democratic rights are in retreat. Cambodia seems to move backward even though it is not the worst yet. The “worst of the worst” include Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Over the past half century, it often seemed that the advance of democracy and basic freedoms was ineluctable. First the Europeans let their colonies go. Then the Soviet empire fell, and with it the communist monopoly on power in eastern Europe. And apartheid ended in South Africa.
Recently, though, freedom's progress may have come to a halt, or even gone into reverse. That, at least, is the conclusion of Freedom House, an august American lobby group whose observations on the state of liberty are a keenly watched indicator. Its report for 2007 speaks of a “profoundly disturbing deterioration” in the global picture, with reversals seen in 38 countries—nearly four times as many as are showing any sign of improvement.

Insiders say that in years past, there was some internal debate at Freedom House over whether or not economic welfare, which affects the range of choices people can make, should be included in the calculus of liberty. But the decision has been to keep economic factors out. How much freer do people feel when they have a few roubles or yuan in their pocket (and access to other goodies like computers and compact discs)?

Thursday, January 17, 2008

The militarisation of space

Modern American warfare relies on satellites. They make America powerful but also vulnerable, particularly in light of China's new celestial assertiveness.
During the cold war space was largely thought of as part of the rarefied but terrifying domain of nuclear warfare. Now, by contrast, the use of space assets is ubiquitous; even the lowliest platoon makes use of satellites, if only to know its position.
Space wizardry has made possible unprecedented accuracy. As recently as the Vietnam war, destroying a bridge or building could take dozens if not hundreds of bombing runs. These days a plane with “smart” bombs can blast several targets in a single sortie, day or night, in good weather or bad. Needless to say, precise intelligence and sound judgment are as important to military success as fancy kit.
Star War:Space provides the high ground from which to watch, listen and direct military forces. But the idea that countries would fight it out in space has so far been confined to science fiction. International law treats outer space as a global common, akin to the high seas. Countries are free to use space for “peaceful purposes” but may not stake territorial claims to celestial bodies or place nuclear weapons in space. “Peaceful” has been interpreted to mean “non-aggressive” rather than non-military. Space is highly militarised but for the moment nobody has placed weapons there, not openly at least.

A Guide to Goal Setting

Ray Silverstein
Do you make resolutions at the beginning of every year? Resolutions can be powerful tools. In fact, they can help you take your business to the next level. The catch is, once you make a resolution, you have to work to make it come true.
If you want action, you need an action plan. Goal setting is the best way I know to transform lofty resolutions into bottom-line results. Research shows that when
entrepreneurs set measurable goals for themselves, they're more like to achieve them.
When you engage in true goal setting, you define your objectives in pragmatic, measurable terms. You also need to identify the resources, time and funds you'll need to invest to attain them. That's how you develop action plans. Once you know where you want to go, the next step is to figure out how you'll get there and how much you're willing to spend on the trip.
Use the SMART SystemWhen it comes to goal setting. Each goal must be defined so that it meets the following criteria: S: Specific, M: Measurable, A: Achievable, R: Realistic, T: Timely

6 Secrets Millionaires Know That You Don't

Ever wonder what it takes to build a million-dollar business? Get the scoop on how successful entrepreneurs do it, and you may soon be one of them.

Many new business owners look at successful entrepreneurs and envy their million-dollar lifestyles and accomplishments. “If only I knew their secrets,” they think. “Why isn’t my business as profitable or growing as fast?” The secret is simple: It’s not hard work or long hours; it’s acting like a CEO, no matter what the size of your enterprise.
CEOs expect a payoff for every venture. Millionaire entrepreneurs focus on the business practices that create the biggest results. When you choose how to invest your time, money and resources, you should ask “What’s the payoff?” Once you make that investment, if the return is insufficient, find a way to make that project profitable, or ditch it. Millionaire entrepreneurs use these six secrets to guarantee an enviable payoff. Read more...

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Third world way

The UN Global Compact may be the best way to draw corporations into the development process. Is its optimism justified?
A CERTAIN zeal pervades meetings of the United Nations Global Compact. Not surprising, as its cause is lofty: to harness the power of business to make the world a richer, fairer and cleaner place.
Its modus operandi is deceptively simple: companies agree to adopt ten core principles regarding human rights, labour, environmental and anti-corruption standards, and to report annually on their own progress towards meeting them.
Meanwhile, managers recognise the long-term benefits of paying attention to environmental, human-rights and governance issues—benefits that go beyond defensive public relations. With imagination, and help from NGOs, many firms think they can deliver gains for society beyond their products and services.
Advocates of CSR try making the case on behalf of its extrinsic benefits—arguing that it attracts better recruits, bolsters share price, eases market entry, helps to win licenses and more.
Partnerships between firms and NGOs are springing up. Oxfam, an anti-poverty group, works closely with multinationals such as Unilever.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

The new 2,000 riel banknote


The 5th gopura at Preah Vihear is denoted on the new 2,000 Riel banknote.
The National Bank of Cambodia has just entered into circulation a brand spanking new 2,000 Riel banknote. It's particularly topical as Cambodia has been desperately trying to get World Heritage status for the temple. In addition to extra slice of publicity amongst the country's currency, the authorities are also making changes at the temple itself. The souvenir and drink vendors have been moved out of the temple courtyards and down to the bottom of the first flight of stairs, and the word is that the village which sits next to the border crossing with Thailand, will also be cleared away pretty soon.
Adapted from Andy Brouwer


Asia in 2008

IF THIS is to be the Asian century, future historians might pinpoint 2008 as the year it truly began. Curiously, the event that will symbolise this is rooted deep in Western tradition: China’s staging of the Olympic games in Beijing next August.
2008 Asia will be the focuses on the Olympic in China, Indian and Japanese diplomacy and politics, Pakistan and Myanmar.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Earth Barely Big Enough for Life, Study Says

Astronomers searching for habitable worlds might do best to look for rocky planets several times larger than Earth. That's because, according to a new study, our planet is at the lower end of the size range needed for plate tectonics—which scientists believe are vital for stabilizing temperatures enough for life. "Plate tectonics is important for the carbon cycle to operate," Valencia said. "Carbon cycling is the Earth's climate thermostat. Over time, it's kept the Earth's temperature around [that of] liquid water, allowing life to emerge."
The scientists believe that super-Earths look very much like our world—especially if they contain water.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Who is afraid of Mideast money?

With their huge windfall, the Arab is buying the world. The men who manage the region's sovereign wealth funds are using the billions from Persian Gulf oil revenues to change the face of global finance.
Six Gulf states—Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia—account for nearly half of the world's sovereign wealth fund assets. They control some $1.7 trillion, as much as all of the hedge funds in the world and more than the $1 trillion private equity industry—and Morgan Stanley predicts the total will grow by about $400 billion annually over the next several years. There's even talk that Saudi Arabia may soon unleash a new $500 billion-plus fund. Bankers estimate that Gulf funds earned about $180 billion from their sovereign wealth fund investments in 2007—more than half of the $315 billion they collected in oil and gas revenues.
It wouldn't be so worrisome but for the fact that these massive funds are situated in a handful of tiny, oil-rich city-states in one of the world's most volatile regions. The tiny Gulf emirates rely on the U.S. military for protection from the likes of Iran and Iraq—and they rely on guest workers for much of their labor. It's a precarious situation, to say the least.

The World Is Watching Vietnam's Big IPO

Hopes are riding high, but lackluster interest in Vietcombank's privatization means there could be trouble ahead. To date, few Vietnamese companies have had enough heft for foreign investment funds to consider. More than $9 billion has been raised globally for investment in Vietnam but some $2 billion of this still hasn't been deployed, for lack of investment opportunities. Foreigners are restricted from holding more than half of listed companies, and they can own just 30% of banks such as Vietcombank.
Despite the worries over Vietcombank, the longer term prospects for Vietnam's stock market look strong. GDP growth has averaged more than 8% for the past few years. Multinational heavyweights such as Intel (INTC), Canon, and Compal have poured billions into manufacturing to take advantage of Vietnam's industrious workforce. And in January, Vietnam was admitted to the WTO. Although growing inflation could be a concern, Vietnam's population of 84 million, half under the age of 30, could still make it Asia's next economic tiger.

Global immigration: keep the border open

Despite a growing backlash, the boom in migration has been mostly good for both sending and recipient countries, says Adam Roberts.
Without migrants, the greying and increasingly choosy populations in much of the rich world would already be on the decline today. That matters for their fast-changing economies, which increasingly demand either highly skilled workers or people willing to do unpleasant and tiring jobs.
One reason why much of the world has enjoyed a sustained economic boom with low inflation in the past decade is that the effective global workforce is expanding so fast.
If exporting brawn generally makes sense for a poor country, sending its better brains away may not. Most, perhaps all, poor and middle-income countries face chronic shortages of skilled workers. Easier movement of capital and goods has helped to make the world a much richer place in the past decade or two, and more human mobility has both created wealth and helped to share it out more equally.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

The challengers

A new breed of multinationals from emerging economies is posting a new challenge to established giants from developed nations.
A study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found 100 companies from emerging markets with total assets in 2006 of $520 billion, more than the world's top 20 car companies. By 2004 UNCTAD even noted that five companies from emerging Asia had made it into the list of the world's 100 biggest multinationals measured by overseas assets; ten more emerging-economy firms made it into the top 200.

According to BCG, they are fanning out around the world using a selection of five strategies :
  1. The first is taking brands from local to global.
  2. A second strategy is to turn local engineering excellence into innovation on a global scale.
  3. The third path to international success is going for global leadership in a narrow product category.
  4. Taking advantage of natural resources at home, and boosting them with first-class marketing and distribution.
  5. The fifth strategy is to have a new or better business model to roll out to many different markets.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Small Asteroid Caused Mysterious 1908 Blast

A huge explosion that devastated a swath of Siberia a century ago was caused by an asteroid that was much smaller than had previously been believed, according to new research.
The blast produced an enormous fireball over the Tunguska region of northwestern Russia in June 1908 (see map). The so-called Tunguska event leveled trees up to 10 miles (16 kilometers) away. Tunguska-scale events are thought to occur only once every several centuries, but most of them likely take place over oceans or unpopulated areas, he said.
"We have the empirical evidence that they don't hit populated areas every 50 or 100 years, and that doesn't change." However, such events may be more common than scientists know, if Boslough's study is correct, he added.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Richard Branson: Life at 30,000 feet

When he was at school, his headmaster predicted he would wind up either a millionaire or in jail. Since then, he's done both. Here he talks to TED's Chris Anderson about the ups and the downs of his career, from his multibillionaire success to his multiple near-death experiences, from Virgin's line of spacecraft to the failure of the Virgin condom. He also reveals some of his (very surprising) motivations.
Branson is one of the most enterpreneurial persons the world ever known. It's interesting and helpful to learn from his experience to know what the characteristics and drives of a successful enterpreneur are. Being risk-taking and resourceful is perhaps the most important traits an enterpreneur should possess. Start and deal flexibly.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

The new global economy

Business leaders in developed countries are encouraged to look out for RDEs, or rapidly developing economies, once known as Third World countries.

RDEs include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Thailand and Turkey. Twenty years ago we referred to many such places as Third World countries. Today the 14 countries listed above are major centers of economic growth, attracting $245 billion in foreign direct investment in 2006 and generating some 17.3% of total global gross domestic product. The countries are increasingly home to your competition. They also are home to current or potential customers, suppliers, and partners.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

JapAnglo-Saxon capitalism

Like Toyota Pirus, Japan is going hybrid synergizing Japanese and American best practices. Japan has both embrassed and rejected American capitalism.

How prevalent is the hybrid model? Gregory Jackson, an expert on international comparisons of corporate governance at King's College London, and Hideaki Miyajima of Waseda University analysed data on 723 Japanese companies gathered by the finance ministry and identified three clusters: 24% had adopted hybrid models; 42% were traditional Japanese firms; and the other 34% were somewhere in-between. On average, notes Mr Jackson, hybrid companies performed significantly better (measured by return on assets) than traditional Japanese firms or those in the intermediate group.

Disputes in South China Sea

Disputes in South China sea over Paracel and Spratly Islands, believed to have huge oil reserve, have put China and some SE countries at odd although China seems to have lessened the tension recently to be more friendly to Asean. It is what has made VN suspecious and hostile to China. Territorial disputes make some China's neighbors favor faraway superpowers. Many countries have been fighting to defense even an inche of their territory no matter it is on the Himalaya or remote Pacific while Cambodia is ceding its land to neigbours bluntly.

Monday, January 07, 2008

GMAT eyes GRE's testing turf

Can an alternative entrance exam break the GMAT monopoly at top business schools? The group behind the GRE is giving it a try. ETS is eyeing to get some market share from GMAC. They claim that GRE is more standardised and cheaper! Some top universities like MIT are accepting GRE to boost degree of freedom in MBA admission.

A crowd of people are taking photos of Sakura blossoms near Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo. For those who like flowers, Japan is one of the best places to visit during spring.
These are sakura trees along the river near my old dorm during spring. The red building is Four-Season Hotel. There are lots of golden fish and turtles in the stream. The location is nice and convinient,at the heart of Tokyo, but not cheap!







Should China Be Feared?

Is China a threat? Here are the views of some of the utermost experts. Generally speaking, China rise is rather an opportunity than a threat. I agree with one scholar: If the West sees China a threat, it could be a threat!

A New World Economy

This is an invaluable article on Second Asian Miracle. The balance of power will shift to the East as China and India evolve. Unlike Japan and Southeat Asia during the first miracle, China and India could shake the world and challenge the West economically, politically and militarily in the long run.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

The new wars of religions

An old menace has returned, but in very different forms. Conflicts increasingly involve religions. Leaders, including terrorists, are using religious difference to wage or justify wars. Once again faith is prolonging or worsening conflicts. The animosity between Christianity and Islam is being revived. Although there are no major conflicts among Buddhist sects or Buddhism and other religions, Theravada Buddhist countries are not really peaceful. Is there any superior religion? Do religions play a vital role in economic development?

Sprawling Angkor Brought Down by Overpopulation

Cambodia's long-lost temple complex of Angkor is the world's largest known preindustrial settlement, reveals a new radar study that found 74 new temples and more than a thousand manmade ponds at the site.

But urban sprawl and its associated environmental devastation may have led to the collapse of the kingdom, which includes the renowned temple of Angkor Wat, the study suggests.

Why is Cambodia now such a miserable country while our ancestors are among the greatest achiever on earth? Without answers, the history could repeat itself.

Human Evolution Speeding Up, Study Says

Explosive population growth is driving human evolution to speed up around the world, according to a new study. And while humans are evolving quickly around the world, local cultural and environmental factors are shaping evolution differently on different continents.

This is an interesting finding I got from National Geographic. Is it still true that the environment, the natural one, determines our intelligence and evolution in the era of globalization?

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Make the Most of Each Day

Constant change is part of the entrepreneurial landscape. To maintain your energy and focus, learn how to manage your time according to your personality and natural instincts. Consider each day a basic building block to your successful business.
  1. Kick-start your creative can-do attitude every morning.
  2. Success develops from taking continuous action.
  3. Energize your commitment to creativity by involving others throughout the day.
  4. Incorporate investigating new opportunities into your normal routine.
  5. Perform a midday check on yourself, every day.

The basics to success

The basics to success is simple: define the goals, set the deadline, make a list of actions, take action and keep checking. The main point is self-confindence. Take control of our life.

Click on the title for more related videos.

Jolie and Madox

Friday, January 04, 2008

Sayonara, salaryman

When Akira got married, he recalls, he invited his bucho, or division chief, to the wedding, as all salarymen did. And during the reception the boss made a speech to the bride, as he always did. “Your new husband is a very good worker,” he began. “He is important to the company. So please understand that he may need to work many long hours.” All the guests nodded silently. “And when he is at home, please take care of him.”

It is a nice experience to have been in Japan while she is changing. There are lots of changes recently in politics, foreign policy, education, corporate governance...It seems to me that Japan Inc. is slowly and cautiously adopting American capitalism in responding to the New World Order.

Once the cornerstone of the economy, the paternalistic relationship between Japan's companies and their salaried employees is crumbling.

Phil Collins - Another day in paradise

A beautiful and meaningful song I ever listen.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

A Business Best Seller in Japan

The World's Easiest Problem-Solving Class, written by a former McKinsey consultant, is a runaway success in the author's home country.

What do you get when you combine a guitar-playing eggplant with McKinsey-style reasoning? In Japan, a best-selling business book. Titled The World's Easiest Problem-Solving Class, it aims to teach consultant-style analysis to middle and high schoolers in a country where test-taking and rote memorization are second nature to kids at an early age.

Click on the title to read more.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Practically irrelevant?

What is the point of research carried out in business schools?