AKRAM's Universe !

Camtica 4.3.45466 - Screen Recorder Software

2012-01-08T03:46:00.003+08:00

Camtica enables you to create professional screen recordings, presentations, tutorials and more. You can record any desktop activity with voice, webcam and animated mouse clicks. The resulting video can be saved in various formats including AVI and WMV.

Why do you need Camtica?

* To create professional screen recordings, demonstrations, presentations, screencasts, tutorials and more

* To generate effective videos that help you train, teach, sell and more

* To create demonstration videos for any software program

* To show customers how to use your product

* To create on-demand interactive training, tutorials for school or college class

* To create a set of videos answering your most frequently asked questions

* To share your recordings on YouTube, Screencast.com and other videos sites

Features:

* Records entire desktop, selected rectangle region, dynamic region around mouse cursor, webcam

* Records anything on the screen including windows, objects, menus, full screen and rectangular regions

* Records desktop screen with audio and webcam together - personalizing your videos by including a webcam movie of yourself over * your desktop at any position

* Records video chats, Skype video calls, games, flash movies played on sites

* Mouse highlighting spotlights the location of the cursor

* Records video in many video file formats including AVI and WMV

* Supports various video and audio codecs

* Free support and advice

* Free lifetime updates and upgrades

* System requirements: Windows XP/2000/2003/Vista/Windows 7

It’s easy to use as one, two, three. You may get more information about Camtica 4.3.45466 here: http://jiteco.com/screen_recorder_software.html

My Latest Pics - At Dataran Merdeka

2012-01-08T03:25:00.009+08:00

The lady beside me is Zeti. I got to know her through Facebook and we have become good friends since. Both of us won prizes in quizzes organised by the local radio, KL FM (97.2 Mhz). Thanks, DJ Ninie, for answering my call when I called in.

Among the items in my prize basket include a Kingston 8 GB pen drive, a red RTM (Radio Televisyen Malaysia) collar t-shirt, a white RTM porcelain mug and an RTM water flask. Thanks, RTM and KL FM.

My individual photo giving the thumbs up after collecting my prize at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur on 31st December 2011.

The Hard Life And Goodbyes, Part II

2012-01-08T02:52:00.003+08:00

I thought I have lost her forever. Fate decided otherwise. Towards the end of September, 2011, I decided to SMS her. This I did after performing some special prayers. My prayers were answered and she did reply my SMS. She had requested my help for a problem she was currently facing. Gladly, I managed to help her out and our relationship was back to normal. When she was out of my radar, I always thought about her and wondered how she was doing. It is now more than three months after she came back into my life. I treat her as a close friend and I am extremely happy that she has welcomed me back into her life. It was all a misunderstanding. Sometimes, misunderstandings could cause friction even between the best of friends. I forgave her. Now she is looking for a day job. I know it would not pay her much. But at her age and point in her life, she needs stability. I know I cannot support her financially. This is out of the question. The best I can do is offer her a kind ear to listen to her problems. Quite recently, she faced a fresh set of problems from her ex-husband. I cannot do much, but support her decisions and offer her my wisdom. By normal standards, she is very independent for a single parent and I truly admire what she has accomplished in her life. I do learn from her and I pray for her success, if not in this mortal world, in the everlasting hereafter.

PMR 2012

2011-12-30T21:35:00.003+08:00

My only child daughter, Shahidatul Soleha, will be sitting for her Form 3 PMR examinations in 2012. Although I do not expect her to get straight A's for her PMR. An A or two in any subject will generally please me. It had been a though 8 years for her as English is the medium of instruction for the subjects of Mathematics and Science. She had been struggling in both subjects for a long time. My wife and I decided to get a home tutor to teach Soleha English in a holistic manner. Yes, reading, writing, listening and speaking. Maybe, it is easier said than done. Although my English is quite okay, I do not make it a habit to speak English at home with my daughter. My fault. Now, I am trying to catch up for lost time. An idea is to introduce 5 new English words to her daily. Get her to understand its meaning and use them to construct sentences. I am not too worried about her Malay Language as she is quite proficient. Nevertheless, I must remind her not to take the Malay Language for granted. It is not easy to get an A in PMR than most people think. Anyway, I have promised myself to do what I possibly can to ensure Soleha's success in the upcoming PMR 2012. Go, go, go, Soleha!!!

The Hard Life and Goodbyes

2011-09-16T05:38:00.006+08:00

More than a year ago, I came to know a divorcee. She is 32, petite, fair with exotic looks and coloured hair. Above all these, initially, she was so nice to me. She shared all her problems and life happenings with me in a no-holds barred fashion. At one time, I wanted to seriously take her as my second wife, but she rebuffed my advances. Fine. She leads the hard life. With three mouths to feed, two younger siblings to support and an aging mother to take care of, I truly know that she works hard for her money. But many in my society may despise her occupation. She is a masseur and works in a place near my home here in Kuala Lumpur. She will get no cash is she does not work. However, she is quite educated. She has a certificate in drafting, but did not pursue her vocation. She did work in a clinic before as an assistant, but, understandably the salary was low and insufficient. Being a masseur promises good money if you are disciplined and dedicated. Then, almost a month ago, the inevitable happened. She text me to inform me that she was no longer interested in hearing from me again and she asked me not to disturb her life again. This act of her did not sink in into me immediately, but, after considering the pressures and problems she have been facing, I realize she did this to save her sanity. She is also saving my present marriage. We have had good times together and as a token of remembrance and gratitude, I gave her a present for her upcoming birthday on October 5. I love you forever, dear and you will be forever be in my heart!

Ten Years After 9/11 -- Risk Management in the Era of the Unthinkable

2011-09-16T05:32:00.002+08:00

Published: September 09, 2011 in Knowledge@Wharton

For the entire country, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks confirmed that the unthinkable was possible. To the business world, it meant that being ready for a fire, a flood or a violent crime no longer represented "preparing for the worst."

The attacks redefined the meaning of risk management in both the public and private sector, Wharton experts say, forcing companies and the government to rethink the ways that they prepare for, respond to and recover from large-scale disasters. The new agenda for security that was set on that sunny fall Tuesday has been tested, questioned and reshaped again and again in the decade since -- by events including Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill in the Gulf, the 2008 financial crisis, the Arab Spring, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and most recently, Hurricane Irene.

"September 11 is a turning point and a touchstone," notes Wharton management professor Michael Useem. "It's something that we still grieve about and something we also want to build from, to ensure that it never happens again. Or, if something terrible happens, we want to make sure we get through the crisis and rebuild."

New government policies along with efforts at disaster planning by private companies are aimed at preventing another horrific day like 9/11. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has an annual budget that exceeds $50 billion. Over the past 10 years, federal dollars allocated for intelligence clocked in at $80 billion a year -- more than double what it was in 2001, according to a report issued last week by former 9/11 Commission co-chairmen Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton on the status of the groups' recommendations.

But questions remain over how best to protect valuable assets -- from buildings to computer systems to people. Indeed, the "report card" released by the former 9/11 Commission chairmen identified nine major recommendations from their initial report that have yet to be sufficiently implemented, including a unified framework for training emergency personnel and responding to crises. "In 2005, Hurricane Katrina revealed that a catastrophic natural disaster could produce a chaotic and disorganized response by all levels of government, causing large-scale human suffering. A decade after 9/11, the nation is not yet prepared for a truly catastrophic disaster," the report concluded.

Fear is a powerful motivator, Wharton marketing professor J. Scott Armstrong says, and in some cases the security measures put in place after 9/11 have not been fully thought through. Among those measures, he notes, was the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. "[The department] was developed very rapidly and with little systemic look at the costs and benefits.... If you instill enough fear in people, they start to make irrational decisions." It leads to what he called the "politician's syllogism: 'We have a problem; something must be done. This is something; therefore, this must be done.'"

September 11, 2001, was a sign that more attention needs to be paid to "black swan" events, or events that are highly improbable but have major impacts. Yet "one of the real challenges in doing risk management for firms is that they do a really good job learning about one specific event -- the one that already happened," Wharton marketing professor Robert Meyer points out. "They make great strides in ensuring that one event doesn't happen again. But oddly, just by the definition of 'very rare events,' the next catastrophe that happens is not going to be the same" as the one that came before.

The Wake-up Call

When a truck bomb was detonated below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 1993, killing seven people and injuring thousands, it was a sign to Rick Rescorla that there was a need to better prepare for future threats. Rescorla, the security chief for financial services firm Morgan Stanley, began conducting regular emergency evacuations of the company's offices there, despite employee grumbling about having to walk down dozens of flights of stairs.

After a plane crashed into the building's North Tower on September 11, 2001, Rescorla ignored building officials' advice to stay put and began evacuating 3,700 Morgan Stanley employees from 20 floors in the South Tower. "That's exactly what ultimately saved so many people at Morgan Stanley," Useem says. "The twist to it is that [Rescorla] went back in one last time to make sure everybody got out. After he went back in, the tower collapsed and he was lost."

The earlier bombing served as a wake-up call for Rescorla -- just as, years earlier, the Exxon Valdez oil spill spurred Exxon Mobil to rethink its crisis prevention systems. "Prior to 9/11, if you had been through something terrible -- if you had touched the void, if you had looked off the cliff," that would cause companies to act, Useem notes. But the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were such a shock, and the impact was so devastating, that firms of all sizes, in all locations and across industries suddenly felt as if they were teetering on the precipice.

"The culminating effect of the disasters that happened throughout the 2000s is that all of a sudden, catastrophic risk is on the front burner," Meyer says. "It used to be the case that enterprise risk management was something firms felt that they needed to do, and they had somebody within the organization that was in charge of it. But it didn't have much presence in the board room."

Now there is the sense that "there is no area of our life that is really safe," according to Wharton marketing professor Jerry (Yoram) Wind. "Terrorists could attack basically any facility, any place where there is a congregation of people, where they can claim the victory of killing more Americans and causing more damage. In a sense, every single business that has some visibility and an aggregation of people is at risk. And it's not only the business itself: If you're located in the vicinity of, say, a nuclear facility, you are at risk."

To see how firms detect and prepare for extraordinary events today -- and to develop strategies and standards to help decision-makers do so effectively -- Useem, Howard Kunreuther, co-director of Wharton's Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, and Erwann Michel-Kerjan, managing director of the Center, are conducting a study that involves interviewing leaders of S&P 500 companies to learn about their experiences. So far, they have talked to executives at about 50 companies, but ultimately hope to speak with representatives from more than 100 firms.,

What they found, according to Useem, is that boards of directors have become more directly involved in catastrophic risk management, and many companies are now emphasizing that preparing for a catastrophe no longer falls solely on the shoulders of the executive in charge of risk management. "If it looks like H1N1 is going to erupt in Mexico City as it did a couple of years ago, [multinationals] want people on the ground to be able to recognize that and communicate it back to headquarters," Useem says.

Many firms are now running intensive disaster drills -- and not just for violent events such as a fire or terrorist attacks. "A big bank we interviewed now runs its more senior management through a two-day exercise in which [employees are told] that a major hedge fund other than their own has failed or a big sovereign wealth fund has failed -- which, like the Lehman Brothers failure, creates huge waves within the financial markets," Useem notes. "In light of that simulated failure, over the next day and a half, employees learn about how to respond, whom they have to call and what steps they have to take" to keep the firm afloat.

But forecasting exactly how a potential threat will play out is difficult, and Armstrong argues that in many cases, experts aren't using the most effective methods. A study he conducted with Kesten C. Green, a senior lecturer at the University of South Australia, found that when experts and non experts were asked to use intelligence reports to predict the outcome of a particular conflict, both groups came up with the right answer only about a third of the time.

According to Armstrong, a better approach to forecasting such risks is creating structured analogies in which people come up with several past conflicts that might be similar to the current threat, and then deciding which is the best fit. Another, more effective, option is an interactive simulation exercise. "It's all about making better use of the information," he says.

Forecasting the Unthinkable

In addition to planning for the unthinkable, firms are also insuring themselves against possible losses. "One of my colleagues likes to tell me that the price of terrorism insurance in Manhattan was zero before 9/11, meaning insurers and people in the business of knowing, quantifying and putting probability on that kind of risk thought it was effectively impossible," Meyer notes. "No one was willing to pay a significant price, because they considered it such an implausible, rare event. Then all of a sudden it happens, and you have completely the opposite -- you still can't buy terrorism insurance, but for the opposite reason."

In a 2010 paper, Michel-Kerjan studied the evolution of terrorism insurance in the U.S. since the attacks. Prior to 9/11, he says, terrorism risk was included as an unnamed peril in most commercial insurance contracts. The attacks jolted the industry, causing an estimated $23 billion in damages, making it the second costliest disaster in U.S. history after Hurricane Katrina. By early 2002, 45 states allowed insurance companies to exclude terrorism from their corporate policies, leading to the creation of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), a public-private program that covers up to $100 billion of insured losses. Similar programs exist in countries including Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.

"Our capacity to be economically resilient in the aftermath of another attack will be critical," Michel-Kerjan argues, noting that terrorism insurance is a "vital tool to assure such resiliency." He found that demand for the coverage grew significantly between 2002 and 2006, plateauing at a point where approximately 60% of firms are now covered. Without renewal by the federal government, TRIA is set to expire in 2014. "Given the current federal deficit, Washington might be reluctant to increase, de facto, its financial liability," Michel-Kerjan adds. "On the other hand, our security is a matter of national interest, so keeping this program alive would make sense."

The government has become more entangled with business interests in several other ways, grappling with the challenges of balancing national security with economics. That struggle has arguably been most prominent in the airline industry, with the introduction of more stringent screenings of passengers and cargo. Heightened security is also evident at the offices of major banks, according to Wharton finance professor Richard Herring. "You have seen financial institutions disperse from their heavy concentration in and around Wall Street. Part of this was inevitable as improvements in technology and data transmission -- particularly in the dematerialization of securities -- made it possible to relocate in pleasanter places. But the trend was certainly accelerated by the attack on 9/11."

Wharton legal studies and business ethics professor David Zaring points to the financial services industry and mergers and acquisitions as two areas where companies are also feeling the impact of increased oversight.

"The financial industry is very much being made a part of the war against terrorism and is supposed to help the government impede terrorists from using the financial sector to finance their operations," Zaring says. "The industry has to get to know their customers much better than they had to before 9/11. They have to collect a lot of data on the kinds of transactions their customers are doing, and on occasion share that with the government." Failure to do so can result in "truly massive" multimillion-dollar fines, Zaring adds. For example, Washington, D.C.-based Riggs Bank agreed to a $16 million fine in 2005 for failing to report suspicious transactions.

Banks are increasingly working with outside consultants and IT experts to create systems for flagging risky transactions. "That created something of a cottage industry of regulatory compliance," Zaring notes. "It has really been quite expensive for the banks because they have to hire these consultants and software providers." It's a requirement they can't ignore "if they want to keep doing business."

According to Herring, companies have also learned important lessons about data protection and recovery. He notes that on 9/11, Bank of New York, for example, "did have back-up facilities [for its data] but [the facilities] were on the same transportation and electric grid as the main center and were of no use in keeping the institution functioning. Since then, regulators have required that financial institutions meet exacting standards for backing up and recovering data from a remote site that is unlikely to be affected by a terrorist strike against headquarters."

The government also is now paying greater attention to efforts by foreign companies to purchase assets in the U.S., potentially rejecting purchases of those thought to be strategically important to national security. "Sometimes, American companies want to get bought by, or want to partner up with, an overseas company, and that, too, can be reviewed and rejected by the government," says Zaring, adding that one instance of this was the 2008 collapse of a deal by Chinese company Huawei Technologies to buy a stake in 3Com, a U.S.-based maker of Internet router and networking equipment. The purchase fell apart amid questions from the Bush administration about its national security risks. 3Com, which was purchased by Hewlett-Packard in 2010, made anti-hacking computer software for the military, and Huawei had ties to the Chinese military.

According to Zaring, "There's a constant push and pull, and the government doesn't always have a perfectly predictable view about what kinds of things can be sold abroad and what kinds of things can't be.... Mergers and acquisitions has turned into something where you need not just think about what the capital markets will say and what the potential target will say, but also you need to think about how Washington will react. That used to involve worrying if there were anti-monopoly issues that could arise, but now you really have to add national security to the list."

Another Payout From DonkeyMails.com

2011-08-31T06:23:00.003+08:00

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Happy Eid Mubarak & Independence Day 2011 !!

2011-08-31T06:05:00.003+08:00

I would like to wish a Happy Eid Mubarak to all Muslims all over the world. After fasting for a month in Ramadhan this year, it is time for us to rejoice and celebrate our success in undergoing all the trials and tribulations that we had experienced. On a personal level, I honestly feel that this year's Ramadhan flew by extremely fast. It was just like yesterday that I felt that I had started fasting. And before I know it, it's already the month of Syawal. Like most Muslims, I gladly prayed tarawih prayers for the extra rewards it had offered. My only wish is for all my past sins to be forgiven and that I can go through another month of Ramadhan in 2012. On a sad note, I "lost" a very good friend of mine when the friend broke up with me on Nuzul Quran day (17th August 2011). Up till today, I am still confused and hurt. But life has to go on. I'll make many more friends as I journey through life and along the way, I'll lose some. That's the cycle in life. I'm trying my very best to forget this friend of mine. We have had some good times together.

Today, Malaysia celebrates its 54th Independence year. On 31st August, 1957, Malaysia (then, Malaya) was proclaimed independent by the late first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the father of independence. The proclamation of independence was held at Stadium Merdeka, next to my alma mater, Victoria Institution, where I had studied from 1977 until 1981. I am still serving for Victoria Institution, albeit in a different capacity. Independence from imperialism is one thing. The most important thing is that we should aim to be independent from the whispers of satan who encourages us to do wrongful deeds, which would in turn incur the wrath of God. To all Malaysians, Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Tales of When Legends Leave

2011-08-31T05:57:00.004+08:00

By JOE LIGHT And SCOTT THURM

The founder of a successful corporation steps down. Then what?

At Ford Motor Co. and Walt Disney Co., long periods of stagnation or decline, followed by renewal. At Wal-Mart Stores Inc., continued success for a time, then new challenges.

Steve Jobs Quits as Apple CEO

Now it is Apple Inc.'s turn, following Steve Jobs's resignation as CEO on Wednesday.

Tim Cook, Apple's new CEO, gets high marks for running the company during Mr. Jobs's two medical leaves in recent years. "Apple has done a better job than most to prepare for this," says Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, who knows several Apple executives.

But history suggests it will not be a smooth ride.

There are perils in every course. Disney got in trouble for hewing too close to its founder's vision. Wal-Mart is faulted now for veering too far from its founder's strategy.

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CSU Archives/Everett Collection

Walt Disney, 1945

The tension isn't limited to the U.S. Japan'sSony Corp. lost its market leadership in electronics after charismatic founder Akio Morita stepped down as chairman in 1994. By contrast, some of Honda Motor Co.'s most innovative vehicles—and greatest market successes—came after founder Soichiro Honda retired in 1973.

Students of leadership say the companies that navigate the transition most successfully are those that embed the founder's values in the organization and groom multiple generations of leaders.

"The difference between a cult and a religion is that one outlasts the founder," said Harvard Business School professor Rakesh Khurana, who has written extensively about CEO succession.

Strong leaders can help, but Mr. Khurana offers a sober outlook. "Most firms don't survive," he said. "In tech in particular, it's like watching fruit flies."

Here are four visions of Apple's future, captured from the past century of American business:

Disney

Associated Press

Roy Disney

Walt Disney's death in 1966 ushered in nearly two decades of unsettled leadership.

The company clung fervently to his vision, preserving his office exactly as he left it and adding few new animated features. That left the company creatively dormant.

Subsequent leadership modernized the company but at a price: Key constituencies ended up alienated by the new chief's brusque style. Mr. Disney's older brother, Roy, and other executives, tried, and largely failed, to recreate Walt Disney's magic, particularly in animation.

By the 1970s, Disney was the object of hostile takeover attempts. Its best-known movies from the era were live-action family titles like "Freaky Friday" and "Escape to Witch Mountain."

It wasn't until the board recruited Michael Eisner from Paramount Pictures to be chairman and CEO in 1984 that the company regained focus.

Journal Community

During Mr. Eisner's 20-year tenure, he transformed Disney into a media conglomerate. The 1996 acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC brought in ESPN, which today is the company's biggest source of profit. The company also rebuilt its animation studio and released hits including "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King."

But the successes and growth were marred by internal rancor and executive turnover.Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Ovitz both left amid clashes with Mr. Eisner; their departures cost Disney hundreds of millions of dollars in severance and legal costs.

Mr. Eisner also squabbled with the board of directors. In 2003, a faction led by Roy E. Disney, a nephew of Walt, and Stanley Gold wrote in a public letter that the company was perceived as "rapacious, soul-less, and always looking for the 'quick buck' rather than long-term value."

Mr. Eisner stepped down as CEO in 2005, and was succeeded by his No. 2, Disney President and Chief Operating Officer Robert Iger.

Mr. Iger quickly moved to smooth the many feathers ruffled by Mr. Eisner—including those of Steve Jobs. Mr. Eisner alienated Pixar Animation, where Mr. Jobs was CEO, with his interpretation of a distribution agreement. By the time of Mr. Eisner's departure in 2005, relations with Mr. Jobs were so tense the men were barely speaking.

Messrs. Jobs and Iger quickly reached détente. The following year, Disney bought Pixar for $7.4 billion, making Mr. Jobs Disney's largest shareholder.

—Ethan Smith

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Associated Press

Sam Walton, 1984

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Associated Press

David Glass

Wal-Mart

Sam Walton, the folksy co-founder of Wal-Mart Stores, who died in 1992 at age 74, provides a cautionary tale of what can happen when a founder's winning formulas are forgotten or cast aside by successors.

Mr. Walton built Wal-Mart from a five-and-dime store in the backwoods of Arkansas into a giant that eventually became the planet's largest retailer. He did so with an indefatigable work ethic—he often began working at 4:30 am — and love for the humdrum details of the retail business. Years after he turned Wal-Mart into a powerhouse, Mr. Walton still visited his stores, and rivals', to soak up intelligence, dictating observations into a tape recorder.

Mr. Walton's almost religious devotion to retailing spawned a unique culture. Workers from headquarters to far-flung store focused on simple maxims such as offering "every day low prices" and "every day low cost" to generate profits.

Mr. Walton handed the chief executive reins to a trusted disciple, David Glass, in 1988. Mr. Glass continued Mr. Walton's vision and accelerated construction of "supercenters." By the end of the 1990s, Wal-Mart was the largest private employer in the world, a title it still holds.

But as years passed and fewer executives in Wal-Mart's Bentonville, Ark., headquarters could claim to have worked with Mr. Walton, some of his principles fell out of favor. With sales growth slowing and fewer spots to build new stores, Wal-Mart in the past decade shifted away from "every day low prices" toward more sales gimmicks, and embarked on expensive store remodeling that raised costs.

Wal-Mart is now trying to reverse an unprecedented nine consecutive quarters of sales declines at U.S. stores open at least a year by returning to ideas Mr. Walton championed. It is cutting back on the remodeling program and curbing promotions in favor of consistently low prices.

—Miguel Bustillo

Everett Collection

Henry Ford, 1919

Ford

Henry Ford remained a dominating presence at his namesake company for nearly 25 years after stepping down. Ford didn't benefit.

When he handed the president title to son Edsel in 1919, Ford had already started to lose its grip on the American market. General Motors Corp. had begun offering cars in different styles, prices and colors. Henry Ford insisted on sticking with the Model T—only in black—and rebuffed Edsel's efforts to make a new car.

By 1933, Ford had fallen behind both GM and Chrysler. It survived the Depression only because of the family's vast fortune.

Edsel died of cancer in 1943, and Henry Ford retook control. But he was in poor health and his grandson, Henry Ford II, was pulled from the Navy in WWII to help run the company.

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Associated Press

Henry Ford II

Mr. Ford II launched a major restructuring. He hired former GM execs and a group of bright, young Army Air Corps veterans with no auto experience who became known as the "Whiz Kids."

Ford introduced its first group of post-war cars in 1949; the following year, it passed Chrysler to again be the No. 2 auto maker in the U.S.

Ford sold shares to the public in 1956 and grew well into the 1990s, gaining huge profits from selling SUVs. But its fortunes flagged again, particularly after a major recall of Firestone tires in 2000. Ford had too many plants in the U.S. and its luxury brands, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, were losing money.

Bill Ford Jr., the great grandson of Henry Ford, became chairman in 1999 and later CEO, before ceding the post to Alan Mulally in 2006. Mr. Mulally closed plants and borrowed heavily to restructure and develop new products, moves that helped it survive the 2008 economic collapse. Last year Ford reported a profit of $6.6 billion, the most in a decade.

—Michael Ramsey

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Getty Images

Bill Gates, 1984

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Associated Press

Steve Ballmer

Microsoft

Few successors were better groomed than Steve Ballmer. Mr. Ballmer had known Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates for a quarter-century and worked at Microsoft for 20 years when he was named CEO of the software maker in 2000.

But the familiarity didn't make for a completely smooth transition, and Microsoft under Mr. Ballmer has struggled to keep pace with Apple's innovations in fields like music, mobile phones and tablet computers.

"Microsoft has never been the same since [Mr. Gates] handed the reins to Ballmer," said Michael Cusumano, a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He says Microsoft is now a "steady-as-you-go, mind-the-store company."

Mr. Gates withdrew from Microsoft in stages, ceding the CEO role to Mr. Ballmer in 2000 to become "chief software architect." In 2006, he announced he would transition from full-time work and in 2008 he stepped back from day-to-day involvement. Over the period, the two men clashed occasionally.

Before Mr. Gates's departure, Mr. Ballmer studied German sociologist Max Weber, who wrote about how organizations handle the disappearance of "charismatic leaders" in the hopes of finding a way to preserve Mr. Gates's role of technology visionary inside the company.

But by many accounts, the forward-thinking technology company of Mr. Gates is now more staid. Microsoft is trying to steer the profits of its Windows and Office franchises into innovations in fields like mobile computing and Internet search technology. It has introduced many new products, often ahead of rivals, but has yet to land its next "killer app."

"The Gates era was characterized by leadership that reveled in technology, in creating new products that would change the world. In Ballmer's era, I'd argue that it's more of a professional manager focus," said Richard Williams, a senior software analyst for Cross Research.

Microsoft declined to comment.

Since June 2008, Microsoft's annual revenues have grown nearly 16% and its profits by almost 31%. But shares have been roughly flat, suggesting investors are worried about Microsoft's ability to penetrate the tablet and mobile markets, Mr. Williams said.

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2011-07-26T18:43:00.003+08:00

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Tales Of Life And Gratefulness

2011-07-26T18:31:00.003+08:00

I took a pay cut recently. This has resulted in my normal monthly budgeting going haywire, to say the least. Gone are the days when, after receiving my pay cheque, that I will have a comfortable amount to spend on anything that I need. Anyway, this process has made me realize that I have to be grateful for whatever I have, not whatever I can have. I do not have to starve, like millions of the world's population, as there is always food on the table. Also, I have a comfortable home, unlike those poor people who live on the streets. Yes, my apartment rental may be a bit steep, but it is very convenient. As I do not own wheels, I get around town using the train, bus and taxi services. My home is just 10 minutes away from the nearest train station. Bus services ply my area regularly and it is quite easy to flag down taxis. My clothing wardrobe may need a makeover, but I have more than enough clothes to wear day in and day out. I am very grateful for all these things and should I yearn for things that people above me possess, I always remind myself to look down at the less unfortunate inhabitants of the world. And I have good health. What more can I ask? Oh God! Thank you very much for bestowing everything that you have given me.

Can Asia Escape If US Debt Is Downgraded Or There Is A Default?

2011-07-26T18:26:00.002+08:00

For Asia, the deepening debt troubles in the West are like a giant asteroid on a collision course too big to dodge or ignore and yet difficult to pinpoint where the worst damage will be done. With roughly US$3 trillion of reserves held in the form of US Treasury debt more than US$2 trillion in China and Japan alone Asia would be directly exposed to a US debt downgrade or default.
The sheer size leaves Asia with nowhere to hide.
“Where could these investors go to put that amount of cash to work? Answer: nowhere,” said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in New York.
Government officials in Asia said in interviews that there was little they could do but wait and hope for the best as Washington struggles to find a politically palatable agreement by Aug 2 the date the US Treasury said it would run short of money to pay bills to avoid a default and satisfy ratings agencies.
A man looks at falling US dollar and euro values against the yen in Tokyo. — EPA
Some officials sounded more worried about risks emanating from Europe, where debt fears have spread beyond Greece, Ireland and Portugal to a much larger economy, Italy.
“Holding onto Treasuries could cause some capital losses in case of a downgrade, but we could live with it,” said a senior Japanese government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the news media about contingency planning. “We have no problems investing in sub-AAA-rated bonds,” the Japanese official added. “Besides, what else should we buy by selling dollars? Euros? Would that be a safer investment than the dollar?“
Japan's worry is that the yen would strengthen against the dollar or euro if debt troubles worsen, which would hurt Japanese exports and constrain economic growth.
The biggest concern for Asia would be a global panic, similar to what followed the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Although Asia fared better than the United States or Europe in that episode because its banks had little direct exposure and its public finances were healthy, a US default today would be a direct hit.
Not only would the region's Treasury holdings be at risk but investors would most likely pull money out of emerging markets, too, even though their growth prospects look healthier than those in many of the advanced economies.
Banks that count on Treasury securities for ultra-safe reserves might have to curb lending or sell riskier assets to bolster capital.
A US debt downgrade could also have wider repercussions. Funds that invest only in AAA-rated debt would be forced to sell. The ratings agency Moody's has put 7,000 US municipal bond issues on review because they have direct links to US debt.
Asian financial markets could take a beating as well. The Federal Reserve chairman Ben S. Bernanke pointed out last week that Treasury securities were often used as collateral, so a default could throw the entire financial system into “chaos,” as he put it.
Foreign exchange markets in Asia look particularly vulnerable because many investors bet with borrowed money. Individuals can easily obtain foreign exchange trading accounts allowing them to bet US$100 for US$1 they put up. That cushion could be quickly wiped out in the case of a US default.
Chris Krueger, a research analyst at MF Global in Washington, said that as of last Friday he saw a 40% chance that Congress would fail to raise the US debt ceiling by Aug 2. But despite the potential for massive upheaval, several Asian policymakers said they had no formal contingency plans for that possibility.
The South Korean finance minister, Bahk Jae-wan, said on Friday that his country was not drafting plans for how to cope with a US default, believing that American lawmakers would eventually work out a solution.
Financial markets appear to have drawn the same conclusion. The yield on 10-year US government bonds is under 3%, indicating investors still see them as a haven.
But for both the United States and Europe, the biggest impediment to resolving debt troubles is political, not economic. That makes it even trickier to predict the outcome.
A fallback plan gaining momentum in the United States would avert a default by allowing President Barack Obama to raise the country's borrowing limit before the Aug 2 deadline. - Reuters

Payments From www.globaltestmarket.com and www.pplinx.com

2011-06-24T04:36:00.004+08:00

I received my second payout from www.pplinx.com a few days ago. I was very happy and I highly recommend this Paid-To-Click (PTC) site to all of you. They have a lot of ads to click. Please join this site by clicking the banner above.

I also received my second payout from www.globaltestmarket.com. It was paid by cheque and posted from its headquarters in Canada. The cheque took some time to arrive at my Kuala Lumpur home, but the amount was quite substantial. www.globaltestmarket.com is a survey site where you are paid to answer simple surveys in points. When your points reach a certain level, you can exchange them for cash. It is a legitimate site. Click here to join>>>www.globaltestmarket.com

Happy Birthday To Me!!

2011-06-24T04:26:00.003+08:00

I celebrated my 46th birthday on 22nd June 2011. The day was normal. No eating out with family or friends. But, yesterday, I did buy RM30 worth of durians just to get a taste of them. I haven't had the chance to taste durians until yesterday, for the whole of 2011. So, it was yum yum yum. My wife and daughter joined in the mini-celebration by helping themselves to the King of Fruits. My daughter gave me a lovely small present in the form of a Liverpool FC key-chain. Thank you, Soleha! Elsewhere, my Facebook was a bee-hive of activity where I received more than 60 postings on my wall to wish me a "Happy Birthday". Thank you to all my Facebook friends! All of you certainly made my day. On my 46th birthday, my wish is for world peace where there is no bloodshed and also where there is no hunger or starvation. We can live peacefully if all of us respect each other and we would not have hungry people out there if we care to give food to those more in need. I do not know if I would live to my 47th birthday. But, if I would die before this date, I have no regrets living my life as it was before. God is Most Merciful and I hope to live the eternal life in the Hereafter...

Should More CEOs Be Fired?

2011-06-24T04:22:00.004+08:00

New research suggests that more CEOs would be shown the door if not for their personal ties with their boards, suggesting that it's time to rethink hiring and firing practices and the CEO's role at public companies.
By Eleanor Bloxham, contributor
Boards of directors are facing increasing pressure to fire CEOs rather than allow them to linger. But what about the pressure boards feel to keep their CEOs in place?

A recently published study by Wharton professor Luke Taylor shows that boards of directors consider things beyond immediate costs (such as severance) when deciding whether to fire the CEO. Whether boards really consider such immediate costs very seriously at all is debatable. A recent case in point? Google's (GOOG) board gave CEO Eric Schmidt a$100 million option and stock grant as a going away present.
The real business motivation of this move is elusive. These kinds of awards hurt shareholders. Schmidt already owned over $5 billion in Google stock. Even if the board didn't care about the impact on shareholders or other stakeholders, would stock and options be the best choice as a parting thank you?
Schmidt is even trying to get rid of some of his stock by setting up a plan to sell approximately $335 million of shares he already owns. Of course, Google isn't alone in bonanza giveaways of shareholder assets when CEOs leave. By historical standards, Google's giveaway competes with those where the CEO was clearly forced out. Since Schmidt moved to the executive chair role at Google, he would not be considered as "forced out" of the CEO role, according to the criteria used in Taylor's and similar studies. Those companies with that allow the CEO time to find another job (in or outside the company) or to retire with six months notice, for example, wouldn't make the "forced out" criteria, either. This "probably underestimates the rate of forced CEO turnover," Taylor argues in his study.
Using this definition, on average, 2% of the CEOs at the largest 500 companies were forced out each year between 1970 and 2006. But Taylor argues that this number would be much higher if directors cared more about shareholder value or were not so loathe toward forcing CEOs out, largely for personal reasons. These personal reasons may include their own ties to the CEO, or considerations that firing the CEO may put their jobs as directors at risk, or hurt their chances of being nominated to other boards.
Consider the recent case at HP (HPQ). Former CEO Mark Hurd was forced out by the board for ethics violations. For the board members, however, removing Hurd was a courageous act. That move, in fact, put the directors' jobs at risk. The new CEO, Leo Apotheker, with the aid of new director and chair Ray Lane, asked for directors to volunteer their resignation so that they could rebuild the board with directors that they both knew. The model developed by Taylor predicts that instead of 2% per year, the percentage of CEOs forced out per year would be closer to 13% if boards were not influenced by these personal factors. (A 1999 study published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics showed that 15.5% of all mutual fund managers are forced out each year.)
If more CEOs were dismissed, shareholder value would increase, according to Taylor's model. But Taylor also notes that it is difficult to say "how much is optimal." As one might expect, boards with fewer outsiders and boards at smaller firms are more heavily influenced by their personal relationships with the CEO when making firing decisions, according to Taylor. Personal factors also seem to have had a bigger influence further in the past (1970 – 1989) compared with more recently (1990 – 2006).
Even with a very limited definition of what constitutes a forced CEO dismissal and a large gap between the actual forced dismissal rate and what theoretically might happen if a board puts aside its personal barriers to firing a CEO, quite a few CEOs are forced out of their companies. While 2% are forced out every year, 17% of all CEO tenures ended in forced dismissal from 1970 to 2006. Between 2000 and 2006, forced dismissal rates were even higher, averaging nearly 4% annually, with over one in four CEO tenures ending in forced dismissal. However, 4% per year and one in four stand in contrast to the fate suffered by shareholders: an actual decline in the S&P 500 during this period.
The correlation between CEO dismissal and the performance of a company's stock suggest that there are serious issues with boards' firing practices, and more importantly, their hiring practices. The stats make it clear that it's time for directors to review their hiring and succession practices and, more broadly, rethink the CEO position and its role. And they may need to consider a different approach, perhaps even a team approach, to the job.
Do CEOs matter too much? CEOs command large salaries, particularly in the largest firms, but is this warranted? If boards don't believe it matters whether a CEO stays or goes, should other stakeholders care? What is the risk that any given board will choose a worse option the next time around? According to Taylor, the larger the company, the less a CEO's performance seems to differ from his or her CEO peers. One explanation is that CEOs in larger firms have less of a direct impact on the company's performance -- perhaps because they delegate more than CEOs at smaller firms. So does replacing one CEO with another, in the largest firms, really produce a significant difference in results?
This is something Bob Benmosche, CEO of AIG (AIG), hinted at in a November 15 interview in the Wall Street Journal: "I disagree that it would be a setback for AIG if I have to stop working. This company is here not just because of me."
Eleanor Bloxham is CEO of The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance (http://thevaluealliance.com), a board advisory firm.

Another Payout From DonkeyMails.com

2011-05-13T03:39:00.000+08:00

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Canaries Promoted!!

2011-05-13T03:27:00.000+08:00

I was overjoyed when Norwich City FC gained promotion to the Barclays Premier League (BPL) with one game left in the 2010/2011 season. The Canaries achieved this feat by virtue of a slim hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Portsmouth City and when Cardiff City lost 0-3 at home to Middlesborough City. The Canaries goal was scored by Player of The Month, Simeon Jackson. This rendered the last match against Coventry City as of no consequence. Manager Paul Lambert must be congratulated for guiding the Canaries to back-to-back promotions. Queen's Park Rangers are champions of the English Championship division. Together with the Canaries another team will join them from the likes of Swansea City, Cardiff City, Reading and Nottingham Forest. The play-offs have started today and it will be interesting to see which team out of the four will be victorious and successful in returning to the top flight. As a loyal Canaries fan, all I want from them next season is to remain in the BPL and not get relegated. I think this is easier said than done. Anyway, do perform your best, Norwich City!!

Where Warren Buffett Went Wrong

2011-05-13T03:22:00.000+08:00

Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor known for demanding truth and transparency, should have asked one of his own top deputies a few more questions, corporate-governance experts say. Had he done so, they say, he and his former lieutenant, David Sokol, at Berkshire HathawayInc. mightn't be facing the intense scrutiny they have endured since revelations on Wednesday that Mr. Sokol was buying shares of a chemicals company about a week before he suggested that Berkshire buy the company, which it later agreed to do.
Liam Pleven and Bob O'Brien discuss the three candidates at Berkshire Hathaway that are in the running to replace Warren Buffett now that front runner David Sokol has resigned. Plus, what are the traits needed in a Buffett successor?
Mr. Sokol, whose resignation was announced in the Wednesday statement, said he believes he did nothing wrong in making the trades. Mr. Buffett said the men didn't think the purchases were unlawful and Mr. Sokol said they weren't a factor in his decision to resign.
The chain of events has put Mr. Sokol in the hot seat. But attention is also turning to Mr. Buffett. As well known for ethics and integrity as investment prowess, he once told government-securities regulators that company directors should be "Dobermans" in demanding financial disclosure from managers and auditors. Corporate-governance experts are suggesting that Mr. Buffett himself should have asked more questions when Mr. Sokol told him he owned shares in the company, Lubrizol Corp., or elevated the issue immediately to a lawyer or even the board.
They say the incident raises questions about whether Mr. Buffett, who carefully selects managers and then vests them with his confidence, was too trusting with Mr. Sokol. They also say the developments could reveal gaps in Berkshire's internal controls. In most big companies, they say, stock trades or other transactions by executives that pose potential conflicts typically need to be reported or approved by internal auditors or even directors. The conglomerate prides itself on cutting corporate-level red tape and fostering a culture where executives are trusted to police their behavior. The "Code of Business Conduct and Ethics" on Berkshire's website says that for chief executives of a subsidiary, which Mr. Sokol was, a transaction that is a potential conflict should be reported to the chairman of the company's audit committee. It is unclear whether Mr. Sokol's actions would fall under the policy.
Some experts say this week's disclosure could put the matter to rest for all involved, and they praised Mr. Buffett's decision to issue the statement. "It's entirely possible that everything Buffett did was reasonable," says Joseph Grundfest, a Stanford University law professor and former commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission. "We need more facts." Berkshire Hathaway didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the issues.
The issues may prove a black mark for Mr. Buffett who, while honing a squeaky-clean reputation and insisting on nothing less from his employees, has seen Berkshire enmeshed in controversy before. Several years ago, an insurance unit was mired in a federal investigation that resulted in four executives being convicted on criminal charges and the Berkshire subsidiary itself agreeing to a nonprosecution agreement with authorities that involved corporate-governance changes. By Wednesday's account from Mr. Buffett, when Mr. Sokol told him that he owned Lubrizol shares, Mr. Buffett treated it as a "passing remark" and didn't inquire about the timing or extent of Mr. Sokol's trades. (Mr. Sokol had purchased about $10 million in shares a week to 10 days before he recommended the purchase to Mr. Buffett, who, in consultation with his board, made the decision on the acquisition without Mr. Sokol, Mr. Buffett said.)
The SEC is likely to look into the chain of events detailed in Mr. Buffett's statement Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Corporate-governance experts say Mr. Buffett's actions could raise issues about corporate practices at Berkshire regardless of whether they reflect a legal failure to disclose material information. At issue for Mr. Buffett is whether he glossed over a potential conflict of interest when he first learned of Mr. Sokol's holdings and whether that led Berkshire to withhold information that might have changed investors' view of the deal or of Berkshire itself.
"Buffett should have asked him: Why don't you just give me your whole position, and let me think about it?" said Franklin Edwards, a professor of corporate governance and financial regulation at Columbia Business School in New York. He and others say Mr. Sokol's investment should have been disclosed to Berkshire's audit committee as soon as possible after the issue of a potential deal arose. Securities lawyers and corporate-governance experts said the best choice at that point would have been for Mr. Sokol to sell his Lubrizol shares. The company even then should have considered formally walling him off from discussions about Lubrizol to avoid an appearance of conflict, lawyers said.
Prof. Edwards said the ideal message to Mr. Sokol would have been, "You could either liquidate your position, or we don't do a deal." Had he liquidated, lawyers said, he wouldn't have benefited in his personal account from the rise in Lubrizol's shares. Corporate-governance experts say further that companies, particularly those that make money buying and influencing companies through investments, usually have compliance systems for employees to report personal trades that could pose a conflict.
Berkshire is famous for thin, efficient staffing at the parent company. But, says David Yermack, a finance professor at New York University's Stern School of Business and an expert on corporate transparency, "when you hire lawyers, it does a little bit of good once in awhile."
—Erik Holm and Leslie Scism contributed to this article.
Write to Jenny Strasburg at jenny.strasburg@wsj.com

First Payout From Wordlinx.com

2011-04-27T04:17:00.003+08:00

A fortnight ago, I received my very first instant payout from Wordlinx.com . This site has been around for quite some time and I really recommend all PTC-lovers to sign-up FREE at Wordlinx.com and give it a shot. Join Wordlinx.com FREE now by clicking the banner above. Thank you!

Canaries For The Premiership!

2011-04-27T04:06:00.002+08:00

With two games remaining for teams in the English Championship division, Norwich City F.C. have to win their remaining games to ensure automatic promotion to the Barclays Premier League (BPL) in the season 2011/2012. If the Canaries are successful, they will be the first team in a decade to gain successive promotions to the BPL. Last season (2009/2010), the Canaries were champions of the English League One division (the old division 3) after a single season only. The Canaries' manager, Paul Lambert, certainly knows how to pick the most suitable team for any given match. Kudos must be given to all Canaries' players for showing the stuff they are made off. The last time the Canaries were in the BPL was in 2005, not too long ago. The Canaries' remaining fixtures away to Portsmouth and at home to Coventry are must-wins fixtures. Win both and they are through to the BPL next season. Go! Go! Go! Canaries.

3 Business Lessons From The British Royal Wedding

2011-04-27T03:59:00.003+08:00

The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton might seem entirely frothy and unworthy of the time of busy executives. It seems an inconsequential event — no new international alliances are formed, no policies will change within their home nation, and the young couple doesn't seem all that interesting.
But the April 29 nuptials are one more example of the coming of the experience economy, in which people pay for the chance to participate at particular times (Farmville, anyone?), and expenditures on goods and services come in bundles tied to particular events.
So tune in to the royal wedding, and watch for a few strategic insights.
1. The soft stuff can attract even bigger audiences and higher revenues than the hard stuff.
Romance and ritual matter to people and add meaning to their lives. The British wedding might have a larger global television audience than the World Cup championship or the U.S. Super Bowl — better a kiss than a concussion, I say, Even though the U.K. marriage rate is falling, there is vicarious enjoyment in romance writ large. To put it cynically, sentiment sells.
Royal weddings come along infrequently, but weddings have become year-round big business. In the U.S., costofweddings.com estimates that the average couple spends $24,000 per wedding, probably an underestimate once one adds up a year's worth of planning for apparel, beauty treatments (including weight loss), officiants and music, venues and catering, and numerous other services. This doesn't include the cost of the gifts others lavish on the newlyweds.
The joy factor — hope and unity — is a better business theme to emphasize than the fear factor.
2. Brilliant brand management is multi-media and cause-related.
Within the confines of good taste, we hope, the Brits are marketing the heck out of the wedding. It's more attention-grabbing than former Prime Minister Tony Blair's Cool Britannia campaign, and the royal stars don't even have to be cool themselves. The whole world can experience the event and learn British history through multiple channels. There is a Royal Wedding website, a Clarence House royal wedding Twitter feed, and a live multi-media blog put together by St. James Palace. Anyone can watch the Archbishop of Canterbury talk about the significance of marriage.
The happy couple has endorsed a charitable gift fund to benefit children, military families, and environmental causes in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Donations can be made in six currencies by phone, check, or text message.
3. Events are double-edged swords. They focus attention not only on the message but on the cost of getting out the message, which can undercut the message.
Royal wedding excitement has been accompanied by calls to abolish the monarchy as a drain on a cash-strapped nation. A 2010 study showed that the public cost of supporting the monarchy was more than $55 million in 2009. The critics might be written off as party-poopers, but you can bet the watchdogs are adding up the costs — just as they do for corporate campaigns and political events.
There are estimates that the royal wedding will be the most expensive security event in U.K. history at the equivalent in pounds of about $30 million. For the wedding, I've seen estimates of $80 million in revenues to hotels in London and retailers selling souvenirs such as dishes, pillows, and playing cards. Some British economists estimate a potential loss of national output because wedding festivities span two holiday weekends, encouraging people to take up to 11 days out of work, adding up to ¼% of U.K. GDP or around $50 billion.
The royal wedding can also be watched as a cautionary tale. One former New York CEO for whom I was a consultant ran a tight ship and was fond of saying that "Business is the last monarchy." Not exactly. Real monarchs, in the Western world and increasingly elsewhere, must align their goals with those of the public, get the approval of elected governments, and exhibit the common touch. CEOs must beware. Lavish expenditures helped bring down Dennis Kozlowski, former TYCO CEO. And who can forget the public outcry over Blackstone's Stephen Schwartzman, who threw himself a multi-million dollar 60th birthday party, decorated with his portrait (the one that usually hangs in his living room). Those are actions that princes of finance should leave to the real princes.

My OnBux.com PTC Money-Making Strategy

2011-03-26T05:34:00.002+08:00

I now have 20 rented referrals at OnBux.com. After reaching payouts at USD2.00, I waited until my balance reached over USD2.50. Upon reaching this amount, I managed to purchase 10 referrals. I did this twice. I plan to keep on doing this until I reach a maximum of 500 rented referrals. In this way, I can earn a maximum of USD2.50 daily. Give it a try on my strategy. The keyword here is PATIENCE! Refrain from withdrawing when you have reached payout in OnBux.com. Rent referrals and keep on renting!

Canaries Flying High

2011-03-26T05:20:00.002+08:00

As a supporter of the Norwich City Football Club since 1976, I am extremely pleased with their performance in the NPower English Championship league so far in this 2010/2011 season. Since being promoted as champions from League One last season, the Canaries have been going from strength to strength. So far, they are unbeaten in eight matches and lie in the second automatic promotion spot to the Barclays Premier League (BPL). After 38 matches, the Canaries had won 18, drawn 13 and lost 7 for a total of 67 points. With eight matches left, the run-in of matches is not too difficult, with only Swansea City and Nottingham Forest as stern opposition. Paul Lambert, the Canaries' manager, must be congratulated for his work done this season at Carrow Road. Hopefully, Norwich City will get promoted automatically as the play-off matches always seem much more difficult to get through. Go! Go! Go! Canaries!

Toyota, Panasonic CEOs Silence After Quake Tests Investors, Hurts Shares

2011-03-26T05:09:00.003+08:00

Two weeks after Japan’s strongest earthquake on record, investors have yet to hear from the leaders of Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Panasonic Corp. (6752) about how they’re dealing with the crisis.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda’s public comments have been limited to condolences for victims and their families in a March 14 posting on the company website and another two days later on a racing blog through his alias “Morizo.” Panasonic, Japan’s biggest home-appliance maker, hasn’t disclosed how many factories were idled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and President Fumio Ohtsubo has shunned interview requests. The government estimates the disaster that’s killed more than 10,000 people may also cost as much as $300 billion. Japan’s CEOs are unlikely to turn their attention toward informing investors as fast as Western executives would, said Kuniko Odaka, who teaches corporate strategy at Kwansei Gakuin University in western Japan.
“In Japan, the belief that the president runs the company for employees is very strong, so in cases like these it’s not uncommon for the president to say the investors don’t matter,” said Odaka, who worked for Procter & Gamble Co. during the 1995 Kobe earthquake that killed more than 6,000. “In the West, companies feel a stronger obligation to shareholders and to disclose information.”
Tepco Crisis
The magnitude-9 temblor crippled a Tokyo Electric Power Co. nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture that has since leaked radiation. Utility President Masataka Shimizu attended a press conference March 13 and hasn’t appeared before reporters since because he’s been at company headquarters dealing with the crisis, Takeo Iwamoto, a spokesman, said by phone yesterday. There aren’t any current plans for Shimizu to hold a press conference, Iwamoto said. As Japan’s chief executives scramble to assess damages, holding back on disclosure may erode confidence for some investors, said Michael Yoshikami, president and chief investment strategist at Walnut Creek, California-based YCMNet Advisors. “No news can be perceived negatively when your investor population is global and when much of your market is outside Japan,” said Yoshikami, whose firm manages about $1 billion. “I can understand culturally what is going on. Toyota may be thinking it’s unseemly to talk about their own issues.” Losses from Japan’s record earthquake and ensuing tsunami may total $200 billion to $300 billion, according to Risk Management Solutions Inc., which advises insurers and is based in Newark, California.
Twitter Updates
Investors outside Japan comprise almost 25 percent of the shareholders in Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, said Shiori Hashimoto, a company spokeswoman. “President Toyoda has been working tirelessly to secure the safety of workers and restoring operations in Japan as soon as possible,” said Keisuke Kirimoto, a spokesman. Toyoda has been in back-to-back meetings and is not at a point where he can go public with any statements, he said. Eighteen factories will remain closed through March 26, and the company said yesterday it would resume production of Prius and Lexus hybrid models at two of those factories on March 28. Toyota’s market capitalization has dropped by 1.3 trillion yen ($16 billion), a decline of 10 percent, since the day before the quake. Panasonic’s market value has fallen by 8.3 percent or 221 billion yen. That’s in line with the 8.6 percent drop in the Nikkei 225 Stock Average over the same period. “We’re prepared to issue our top executive’s comments at the appropriate time,” said Akira Kadota, a Tokyo-based spokesman for Panasonic. Ohtsubo heads the company’s task force set up March 12 to deal with the emergency, he said.
Softbank, Nissan
Not all CEOs have kept quiet. Softbank Corp. (9984) Chairman Masayoshi Son updated his almost 950,000 Twitter followers on what the nation’s third-largest wireless operator was doing to help relief efforts and to fix downed phone lines. “Our engineers are working all night to restore telecommunications,” he wrote in a March 18 posting. “We’re facing difficulties such as the lack of electricity, the tsunami wiping out telecommunications equipment, as well as closed roads and shortage of gasoline.” Son met governors in the disaster areas to offer assistance in relief efforts, stopped charging for some services and visited shelters in disaster areas. “I cannot stop my tears,” he posted March 18. Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn, who also leads France’s Renault SA (RNO), was in Paris attending an executive committee meeting when the earthquake hit.
Emergency Center
Japan’s second-largest carmaker set up an emergency center “within hours” of the earthquake, Ghosn said this week in an interview. About 100 employees, including top management, are there monitoring factories on an hourly basis. Nissan resumed operations at six plants on March 21. It will take the Yokohama-based carmaker until mid-April to resume major production at its engine plant in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture, Ghosn said. Nissan’s other Japanese production sites are now operating. “We have a pretty good assessment of the situation of the company,” he said. “We are getting more confident every day.” Ryuji Yamada, president of NTT DoCoMo Inc. (9437), Japan’s largest mobile-phone operator, hopped on a helicopter to Miyagi prefecture March 12 to witness the damage ravaged by the tsunami in the northeastern region of the country. Yamada ordered the deployment of 30 mobile base stations and 30 power-generating cars, the installation of 400 power generators and the distribution of 910 mobile and 630 satellite phones to local governments and shelters, according to Naoko Minobe, a company spokeswoman.
Honda Drive
Takanobu Ito, president of Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co., the country’s third-largest carmaker, drove more than four hours north to Tochigi prefecture the day after the earthquake, spokeswoman Natsuno Asanuma said. The temblor killed one worker and injured about 30 at three facilities there. “We want everyone in various fields to do the best to revive,” Ito told employees in a March 14 message. Honda’s research-and-development center in Tochigi won’t be fully operational for several months, the company said yesterday.
Some CEOs dealt with the crisis remotely.
It was the middle of the night when Sony Corp. (6758) Chairman Howard Stringer, in New York to have back surgery, received word of the disaster that knocked out eight of the company’s 41 plants, representing about 5 percent of the manufacturing output by Japan’s largest exporter of consumer electronics. Stringer was stuck on “the wrong side of the world,” he said in an e-mail. Vice Chairman Ryoji Chubachi and Executive Deputy President Yutaka Nakagawa oversaw rescue operations.
Sony Helicopter
Sony sent a helicopter to deliver water and basic necessities to the 1,100 employees and 100 neighbors trapped in a building in Tagajo, Stringer told employees in an e-mail. Engineers built a “make-shift boat” so workers could deliver food to people trapped nearby, he wrote. “Our employees there are working impossible hours to provide support to our employees and operations in the hard-hit areas,” Stringer wrote. It is “too early” to discuss the potential impact of the disaster on Sony’s business and financial results, said spokesman Shiro Kambe. Elpida Memory Inc. (6665) President Yukio Sakamoto learned of the earthquake while aboard All Nippon Airways Co. flight NH1172 from Hong Kong to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. “The first thing I did when we landed was to try to call our factory directors, purchasing managers and human resources department to find out what happened, but I couldn’t get through,” Sakamoto, who runs the world’s third-largest maker of computer-memory chips, said in an interview. “We’re now sending our customers and business partners daily updates on the situation.”
‘Especially Cautious’
When the earthquake struck, Seiko Epson Corp. (6724) President Minoru Usui was attending a graduation ceremony for the company’s information technology institute in Suwa, central Japan. “The safety of employees was my immediate concern,” Usui said in an e-mail. Fourteen minutes after the temblor, Usui set up a task force at the nearby headquarters of the world’s third-largest maker of printers. The company closed four plants, including one inside the evacuation zone near the crippled Dai-Ichi nuclear plant. A plant in nearby Akita prefecture resumed operations March 22. As analysts try to quantify the impact on corporate earnings -- Deutsche Bank AG estimates a 2.4 percent shortfall, twice that of the Kobe quake -- CEOs may be running out of time in testing investor patience, said Hideaki Miyajima, an economics professor at Waseda University in Tokyo specializing in corporate governance. “They may be especially cautious about what information they make public given the wide-ranging possible scenarios,” Miyajima said. “It’s forgivable to wait until the 28th, two weeks after the plant shutdowns began. If they are silent past then, it may appear that there is a serious problem.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Makiko Kitamura in Osaka atmkitamura1@bloomberg.net; Maki Shiraki in Tokyo at mshiraki1@bloomberg.net; Mariko Yasu in Tokyo at myasu@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kae Inoue at kinoue@bloomberg.net; Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net

More Payouts From OnBux.com and Donkeymails.com

2011-02-28T23:04:00.002+08:00

I am very happy to have received further payouts from OnBux.com and Donkeymails.com. For the former, it is the second time. I have lost track of the amount of times I got paid by Donkeymails.com. Do join both these sites by clicking the above banners. You would not regret it!

Under The Weather For Three Weeks

2011-02-28T22:47:00.002+08:00

I pride myself in being a very healthy person. But, once in a while, I get sick, too. I notice that each time I fall ill, the illness is somewhat prolonged. This time is no different. I was sleeping comfortably with the ceiling fan on one night, albeit a bit too fast. Then, before dawn, it rained like cats and dogs. When I woke up that fateful morning, I was already running a temperature. Okay, my body is a bit heaty. Fine. Took Panadol for the next few days. The fever somewhat subsided. Then, things got worse again, so much so that I decided to visit a doctor the following week. He prescribed me some fever tablets, anti-biotics and the lot. I took them for a single day before my good friend, Shah, recommended and even gave me some pure honey. So, I tried it for a few days. No doubt honey is good, but recovery was very slow and painful. Even swallowing my saliva was a challenge. It did not help that I am a smoker. So, I decided to finish the doctor's prescriptions. It did help for awhile. My fever, flu and cough were gone. The only thing left was my sore throat. Upon some advice from Shah again, I bought some garlic oil capsules and huge doses of vitamin C, and also some pure honey. That was around four days ago and I stuck to the supplements religiously. And you know what, I am very happy to say that my throat is almost back to normal. Maybe 95%. However, in the process, I did lose 5 kgs. I now weigh almost 77 kgs. Thank God for giving my health back!

7 Top Online Marketing Trends for 2011 [Data Included]

2011-02-28T22:43:00.003+08:00

Shovel and Twitter in hand during the post-Christmas Snowpocalypse, Newark Mayor Cory Booker showed that 2011 will be about being connected, showing up, and responding to customers' needs. Like Mayor Booker, online marketers will require more than social media marketing. Further, as Mayor Booker demonstrated, an integrated approach is essential for achieving your goals. For marketers, this translates to ensuring that all facets of the marketing mix must work well together.
Seven Top Online Marketing Trends for 2011
Here are the seven top online marketing trends.
Social media marketing goes mainstream. In 2010, corporate use of social media reached a tipping point. Companies will become more sophisticated in their social media marketing usage as they get more experienced. As part of this evolution, social media will extend throughout organizations, namely customer service. Further, social media advertising will come into its own and yield relatively stronger results as happens with any new advertising platform. It's also largely attributable to the ability to tightly target audiences based on social media activity.

The one challenge to this progress will be Facebook, Twitter, and Groupon's high market valuations, potentially signaling a bubble.

Mobile hits its stride. While U.S. mobile expansion has been on everyone's list for many years, 2011 will pave the way for a number of important marketing changes. Fueled by high smartphone adoption that continues to expand and an increasing percentage of mobile-only households, the U.S. is poised for enhanced mobile marketing. Recent Nielsen data shows that 30 percent of cell phones are smartphones and BlackBerries account for about a quarter of smartphones.

Source: The Nielsen Company

Along with on-the-go consumption, e-mail remains the dominant mobile activity. Further, app users have downloaded an average of 27 apps.

Source: The Nielsen Company

Based on this growth, Forrester forecasts that over 75 percent of marketers plan to include mobile in their marketing mix. Given mobile e-mail's strength and average app downloads, focus on mobile interactive extension to meet users needs on the go. Think bite-size consumption and mobile findability (aka search). As a result, location-based services (aka LBS) such as Foursquare with competition from giants like Facebook will continue to expand their reach.

QR codes and mobile payments will also grow.

Content marketing expands in new venues. Other forms of portable devices, namely e-readers and iPads, gain traction. Apple's iPad has sold 8.5 million units based on eMarketer's estimates.

While Amazon has sold 8 million* Kindles, its highest selling item to-date. This is good news for publishers who consider these devices paid content consumption nirvana. These devices require that marketers think about their target market's content consumption habits. Roughly two-thirds of consumers have paid for some form of online content according to Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Among the dominant forms of paid content were digital music, software, cell phone and tablet apps, digital games, news articles or reports, and videos, movies, or television shows. But, before publishers run to the bank, they must assess the average $47 content spend carefully because the typical customer only spends $10!

Marketing goes real-time, not just watching issues for PR and potential fires. (Hat tip to David Meerman Scott.) Marketers must be vigilant to take advantage of marketing opportunities while mitigating the impact of small fires (for example, Ford's use of social media to quell a PR fire). This requires a more flexible promotional and communications strategy. As a result, marketing needs to be agile because these events can't be planned six months in advance. Further, every firm must have a crisis management plan and vigilant monitoring.

Online retail continues to take market share from other channels. Christmas 2011 showed that consumers were willing to spend money, either due to pent up desire or as shopping therapy, despite the challenging financial outlook. Online holiday purchasing grew, taking share from brick-and-mortar retail, showing consumers' willingness to use and trust online payments. J.P. Morgan senior analyst Imran Kahn forecasts that U.S. online retail will continue to grow at a 12.4 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) from an estimated $166 billion in 2010 to $235 billion in 2013. While a very small percentage of holidays sales, social shopping will continue to expand its influence due to its ability to target and reach consumers early in the decision phase. Also, group buying via Groupon and its competitors will continue to be a growing trend as long as marketers can make money from these promotions.

Integrated marketing comes of age. As the big social media marketing campaigns of 2010, namely Pepsi Refresh and Old Spice, showed, integration across marketing platforms is a must! With expansion of social media marketing; mobile, e-reader, and offline marketing (remember, television still dominates!) all need to work together.

Metrics move into the spotlight for social media. Just as you do for traditional forms of marketing, as social media matures and invests real budget and headcount, management will require justification for these dollars. To this end, better social media metrics and a clear pathway to ROI is needed. Related to this is improved social monitoring to aid tracking. Further, marketers must incorporate calls-to-action and promotions to aid tracking.
As you plan for 2011, use these seven online marketing trends to guide your marketing initiatives. Bear in mind that to hit your 2011 goals, you need to have metrics including those for your social media and mobile strategies that help you achieve your corporate mission.
Do you have any other trends that you think will drive online marketing in 2011? If so, please add them in the comments section below.
Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen

First Payout From OnBux.com

2011-01-28T05:40:00.002+08:00

Many have touted OnBux.com as the next NeoBux.com in terms of Paid-To-Click (PTC) sites. Both share some similarities, though this cannot be said over their overall design template. Recently, I did reach payout at OnBux.com. But instead of cashing out my earnings, I decided to invest back into the site by renting some referrals. Patience is the key word here. And the day where I can cash out USD50 daily will soon become a reality. Join me now FREE by clicking the above banner.

My E-Book Writing Journey

2011-01-28T05:27:00.003+08:00

I think the year was 2007. I was just discharged from a government specialist hospital due to a relapse of my old condition. Fine. I did get a good rest. My good friend recommended me a website that accepts writing of e-books on an agreed topic. Well, I gave them my topic and after the website approved my proposed writing on an e-book, the journey began.

Fast track to January, 2011, I am only two chapters away from completing my e-book labor of love. I cannot imagine how many hours I did spend on writing it. Time flies and I cannot believe that it has been four years since I started writing my e-book. I have come so close and I would not want to chicken out this time.

The last two chapters are quite tricky to write as they involve me doing some research on the internet. Well, I have overcome many challenges in writing my e-book previously and this is no different. Hopefully, my e-book will be completed sooner rather than later. And after all these, hopefully, the publishers can edit my e-book before putting it on sale on their website.

There are still some strings to be tied up and I hope this will be done when I eventually send my draft e-book to the website. It's so near now, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

10 Trends for Online Marketers in 2011 A look at the latest technology tools that will influence how you reach customers

2011-01-28T05:17:00.002+08:00

With a new year in swing, it's time again to focus on setting new revenue records in 2011 by investing in the marketing strategies with the highest return-on-investment potential. Small businesses have more at risk than big companies when it comes to capitalizing on new trends, so your timing should follow the old saying, "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

The following list features my top 10 online marketing trends for this year, as well as advice for whether you should be the bird (invest now) or the mouse (leave the trend on the sidelines).

No. 1: Location-Based Marketing