January 30, 2005
Malaysia and its many wars
Malaysia just now embarks on a new war.
The War Against Illigal Racing has started, as reported by the New Straits Times today.
Another war? How many wars have been fought in Malaysia over the last year? With more or less success.
Let me gather my memories and see, if I can get some lines together - please see this in no particular order.
1. The war against VCD and DVD peddlers;
2. The war against illegal software (can be related to number 1)
3. The war against corruption
4. The war against incest and rape
5. The war against snatch thieves
6. The war against the speeding
7. The war against the usage of emergency lanes by cars during rush hours
8. The war against illegal immigrants
9. The war against unpaid tickets
10. The war against declining moral values
There are plenty more wars that have been fought. I am not doubting any honest intentions here but seriousely, I doubt that much has been achieved.
There are many different sayings that showcast what is wrong with that.
What about: A death by many initiatives or focus, focus, focus?
May be this is wrong with Malaysia? Why not focusing on one initiative, absolutely, and with all efforts? Once this menace or that menace has been dramatically diminished, we could move on to the next. And I believe that there is a connection.
I believe that if "they" (whoever they are) show that they mean business, that the other problems will also decline.
Crime is an epidemy. Malcolm Gladwell in his book, The Tipping Point showed that if a city (in his case New York) concentrates on fighting crime - and even a minor one such as farebeating in the underground - they are able to set a signal that crime doesn't pay off. In New York, where crime was rampant in the 1980s and beginning 1990s, the committment to fight against farebeating, graffiti on Underground Trains and so on, paid off. Crime came down - dramatically.
But how does lawlessness get started? It is a feeling that if people can do what they want, a feeling of lawlessness sets it.
It is happening when you see that something is not right in your eyes. A broken window is not repaired. Who cares? If they do it, I can do it. Nobody sees it, so I can do it.
The consequence is that people, who would not ever commit something outside the law, start committing something outside the law - like speeding, driving on the emergency lane, or buying illegal VCDs.
And soon, more people join in. Everybody is doing it. In the end, it is the environment that conditions us to do things that are not allowed. It is not always genetic, or that that the parents are to be blamed, or the sick persons who rape. This plays a role, for sure. But it doesn't explain why someone who was law-abiding yesterday now starts to act outside the law today.
My conclusion? I don't want to outline one, I want to contribute to the overall discussion. But I look forward to the day, when there is more focus in the action of the politicians.
______________________________
If you want to download the article by Malcolm Gladwell, click here:
Posted by Andreas at 06:54 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Visiting the Sunway Petting Zoo
I didn't spent much time this week with my family and as such, my kid had the choice of what to do this Sunday. He decided to go to Sunway Petting Zoo. He was there earlier already and it had impressed him quite a bit.
The concept is great. Have a zoo in the middle of the city that allows kids to actually touch and play with animals. Okay, not the real big ones like lions but smaller ones, like snakes (e.g. Python), baby crocodiles, or simply some Guinee Pigs, chicken, or fish.
The guys working there are also pretty helpful.
Here are some pictures of the brave guys.
The brave one - the crocodile didn't bite me. The poor thing couldn't open the mouth as they taped it. (I don't agree with this action!!)
My kid's friend was also interested in holding the croc. Soon to be seen on Discovery Channel? (And yes, I have the blogger shirt on - again. I have five of those, but I appear to always wear the red one in pictures).
Next in line was my kid, holding the birds.
May be the birds were holding on to him.
I also like the owls. Great animals. They were staring at me - and I apologise to flash at them, with my camera.
However, I wonder why there always must be something negative about something positive. Shortly before the exit is the place where kids can have some fun at a tiny funfair. Nothing much, but suppose to be entertaining. You know, throwing rings over duck necks (rubber ducks), throwing a ball into an empty bucket (the ball will bounce back most of the time) or throwing a ball at a couple of cans to win a price. Normally, you hardly win anything, but you know this as an adult, while kids still have the plain fun. The "problem" is that they know when they win - and it is bad when the organiser don't give the face.
My kid is quite a good ball thrower. So he was able to throw his three balls into the nine cans - and they all fall down, to the side. We were all happy until they people working there changed the rule - suddenly, he was suppose to have thrown his three balls in such a manner that at least six of the cans would fall down from the table. In my eyes, this was total cheat and I told them that. Do the math - first, you only have three balls. You have to topple the tower and this in a manner that 2/3 of all the cans fall from the table. It is tough for an adult, I guess, but for a seven year old boy? The cheat was so obvious that even my kid was upset and told them that. Well, it was the last time that we did this there.
Posted by Andreas at 03:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 29, 2005
Good bye to the tumour diary blog
The person started the blog back in 2002, after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
More and more people read the story of his development, but it came to an end, after the writer became too sick to continue.
"He movingly described his odyssey of chemotherapy and brain surgery, his marriage, the birth of a baby son last year, and a surge of hope -- quickly dashed -- that the brain tumour was in retreat.
But in a final posting on Thursday, Noble wrote: "This is my last diary. I have written it ahead of time because I knew there would be a point when I was not well enough to continue.
"That time has now come."
This is the great part of blogs, and something that is easily forgotten. It allows people to reach out, to share knowledge and to create value for others.
(The interesting thing is that while it was a reporter of BBC who ran the blog, I couldn't find the link to it)
Posted by Andreas at 02:35 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 28, 2005
Branding Malaysia
I found this very interesting entry in the Whisper Blog.
So take a look and tell me or the author what you think. I think, for example, that one of Malaysia's greatest strength is its diversity. The different group. May be even the food, as an all-combining factor (every Malaysian that I know likes to eat).
I also think that the statement "Malaysia - Truly Asia" makes a statement (although it is not always delivering on the point). But it makes a point. It stakes a claim. It challenges!!! Similar to the claim of other companies in different segments.
Like Avis: "we are number 2 - we try harder"
Or Celcom: "Ini Wilayah Celcom"
I am sure you know more. I am just too tired after a long week to get more into this blog.
Posted by Andreas at 10:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The largest merger in history - P&G buys Gillette
The largest merger in history took place today. P&G bought Gillette for US$55 billion. Through this, the largest consumer products company in the world was created.
I hope it works out - many times, mergers create unhappy employees, and frequently, unhappy customers, if not handled correctly.
"Data collected over five years as part of the widely respected American Customer Satisfaction Index, reports on customers' perceptions of 28 big companies that were involved in major mergers between 1997 and 2002. It showed that customers were significantly less satisfied on average even two years after the deals closed than they were before."
While commentators say that the deal will strike "fear amongst its competitors", such as Unilever, Colgate and Speed Stick deodorant, and ask them to look for merger partners as well, it is also a time for competitors to get into action. When consumers are unhappy and don't feel served well, companies can get a good many consumers by serving them correctly and attentively.
The merger problem? The integration of IT systems, or distribution system, product lines and finances is not easy, but it is technoloy, mainly. What often gets forgotten is the human factor. In fact, HR department should be involved from the early stages of a merger. Often, it is something that is thought of last, besides the unevitable promised job cuts. They are already planning to cut 6,000 jobs - equivalent of 4% of the total 140,000. This creates fear amongst employees. Often, companies only realise that something goes wrong, when great talent leaves.
The sad part of the whole story? Over the last I don't know how many years, companies became real good in cost cutting and merging. But not necessarily in growing their business. A merger is basically only a way to buy market share, and often not the smartest way to run a business.
Update:
I was thinking about a connection between this merger and the power of Walmart. Walmart's buyers power is too strong to be ignored in this calculation. And right, the New York Times (registering required) highlighted the issue in their recent issue (Jan 29, 2005):
"Procter generates about 17 percent of its annual sales through Wal-Mart, and Gillette about 25 percent, but that still represents less than 10 percent of the discounter's total sales."
And: "A turning point in the relationship between Wal-Mart and P.& G. came in November 2003, when Wal-Mart introduced a detergent similar to P.& G.'s Tide. Called Great Value, the detergent is packaged in a 100-ounce jug, just like Tide, and priced lower than Tide."
Ahhhh - here we go!!
Posted by Andreas at 07:49 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
The brand doesn't belong to you - Volkswagen, IPod and the Tsunami Song
A couple of days back, I wrote about the Volkswagen ad. In this ad, a suicide bomber drives up to a cafe and blows himself up. But nothing happens to the car and the cafe. The only thing that can be seen is the blow inside the car. The message: This car is strong.
The story continues.
The only problem? Volkswagen didn't create the ad, didn't commission it to its ad agence DDB, and DDB didn't produce it.
The New York Times (registration required) writes that "the spot was sent to the London office of DDB Worldwide, a Volkswagen roster agency, by two people known as Lee and Dan. "We had no part in disseminating it," said Annouchka Behrmann, public relations director at DDB London, part of the DDB Worldwide division of the Omnicom Group. "We think it's absolutely disgusting.""
A different example not related to the Volkswagen ad highlights Apple and its IPod.
Wired reported about a recent ad featuring the IPod. In this case, a school teacher called Masters produced the ad and it went viral on the web, after a slow start. "Masters' 60-second animated ad features flying iPods, pulsing hearts and swirling '70s psychedelia. It's set to the beat of "Tiny Machine" by '80s pop band the Darling Buds." Or, to turn back in time, do you still remember the discussion about Apple's IPod and the discussion about its batteries
Or, the current discussion about the digusting Tsunami song - it was tasteless, but in earlier times, about .... years back, it would have taken a long time before it made its way to Asia. Now - it took a couple of seconds, minutes an hours. Earlier, the DJs might have stayed in their job - the impact on them or the radio would have been small - now they are suspended or fired!
These are examples of situations showcasting the evolution and usage of the web:
1.) the challenge of viral marketing.
2.) the ease how material (especially on or from the web)can be produced, distributed, copied and pasted elsewhere;
3.)the fact that the brand doesn't belong to the company anymore.
There was a time when advertisers and marketers could produce something, and channel it carefully into different channels.
Nowadays, with the advent of the web, something that is on the web is distributed fast, once discovered, and this distribution takes place away from the company, and is placed in the hand of the consumer (if it is the consumer).
They control the distribution, the discussion and the perception or image of the brand. The good part is - distribution is much wider than ever expected. The bad part - things that are not good tend to get really bad. Think of Abu Ghraib and the distributed pictures - no control of anybody in the presidential suites in the US brought the distribution under control. And people are so used to stealth or extreme marketing, that they simply don't know anymore, what is a "real ad" and "what a fake" - do they care?
Posted by Andreas at 06:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 27, 2005
Thank you
You bloggers are great - thanks for all your support. No, wrong - it should be a very big THANKS. Nevermind.
I really appreciate the comments from all of you regarding my entry of the Rude Malaysian.
I know he is the exception to 99% (I hope it is that high) of all the Malaysians and you made and confirmed the point.
So thanks again, especially to Dave, Becky, Kim, Kervin, Jordan, Ash, and Fishtail but also to those who read it and agreed to the entry.
Stand for your rights - don't let people steal your time!! Ole!!!
Posted by Andreas at 02:38 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
When Livejournal was down....
I see this a bit in relation with the recent blackout that hit parts of Malaysia, and the "strange" reaction by Tenaga Nasional in their first press conference.
Remember, Tenaga Nasional Bhd deputy chief executive Abdul Hadi Mohamad Derus had told a news conference:
"I don't know how it happened. I am also puzzled"
I defended their action (while being upset) that this was at least honest, while others said that this what happened cannot be defended and that leadership should know what happens. They don't. Read on.
Livejournal, a blogger's heaven, must have ben down the other day. Their CEO came out with a statement apologising to the company's users, and what they are planning to do to prevent that it happens again. Can we draw similarities? The main difference might be that here in Malaysia, the Prime Minister had to ask for details and requested that this won't happen again. There, they do it on their own.
Here is what Livejournal's "CEO" said:
"EPO, by the way, stands for Emergency Power Off and it's a national fire/electrical requirement for firefighters to be able to press these big red buttons near all exits that turn off all power in the entire data center. This is the second time this has happened to us in the years I've been there. The first time the button was unlabeled and unprotected and some dude thought it opened the door. This time we have no clue why it was pressed... maybe that dude tripped and fell onto it... mystery."
You can read the full details when you click here.
I think it is just great, open and very honest. Way more open than what happened during the blackout and subsequent press conferences in Malaysia. But than, well, we were off to a good start - good, not great, that is the difference. And Livejournal is purposefully open, while may be in Malaysia, the statement above was may be more of an accident than planned. Just my thinking.
PS: I found the initial trait at Businesslogs.com
Posted by Andreas at 12:41 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 26, 2005
The rude Malaysian - I found one
I found one, a rude Malaysian, finally. Well, not really finally, because I was pretty upset, absolutely angry and lost my temper.
The story goes as follows:
This afternoon, I went to the RHB branch at Megamall to open a Current Account. The bank was full with people, all nicely waiting for their number to be called. I was lucky, since I didn't need to go to the normal banking transaction, but to two desks right in the front, at the entrance.
At one desk, a customer was being served by the branch staff, while nobody served the other desk. Before me were two other customers standing, however, both realised after a while that they could get their affairs elsewhere.
So, logically, I waited for either the one desk to be "manned" or that the customer at the other desk had his things completed.
In comes this elderly guy, and stands beside me, and starts straight away to complain that it always takes so long and that there are not enough people that attend to the customers. I said, well, may be there are not enough employees in the bank, and he replied that they should hire more. I responded, that they might not just want to hire the first person to enter the door. So much for the friendly talk.
Suddenly he says to me: "You wait here (pointing to the desk where the customer was being served), while I will wait here."
Off he goes to sit down.
I said, "Excuse me, but I am waiting for either one. That he is finished or that someone attends to this desk".
He brushes it away, saying "I don't have time to wait."
I respond. "Excuse me, but I also don't have much time, and I was waiting here already." He just ignores it. I continue: "If someone is coming to your desk, I am first to be in line. You shouldn't jump line like this."
In between, my wife turns up, who handled something elsewhere, and I tell her the story.
He just kept looking at his account book. Suddenly, a teller comes to serve that desk. I immediately say that he has jumped line. He turns around and says that he was taking this seat since I was waiting in line for the other counter. I tell him off and say that he cut line and that he is one rude Malaysian. That Malaysia is beautiful and has great people but that it is a pity that rude people like him spoil the great image of Malaysia.
I alsoexplain the situation to the teller. I am now visibly upset, and of course, but the teller treats the situation pretty well, by standing besides me and asking, what I want, actually. She than brings me to another room, and attends to us quickly. It is not much that we needed to do. In between, while we fill out forms, they guy gets also served and disappears after he has his completed. I later apologise to the teller for my loud behaviour, by reiterating the situation.
I think she did well, but I was so absolutely upset. I told the guy that his picture should be published in The Star, and that I will post it in my webpage. Well, here he is in a close-up. I hope someone recognises him.
Posted by Andreas at 05:35 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack
January 23, 2005
Off to Singapore
I am off to Singapore for a training session until Tuesday night. Will see if there is a chance to blog.
Posted by Andreas at 07:44 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 22, 2005
Do we need MBAs?
I always wonder about the emphasis that people put on the achievement of degrees or especially MBAs. Why? Is it because when you complete your MBA, you have a title and understand the world better?
Even the blue-est of the blue consulting firms, McKinsey started to look for other disciplines, outside of MBAs. "McKinsey hires outside their traditional domain. It is stated that in 1993, 61% of McKinsey 's hires had MBA degrees and that around now this ratio is down to 43%. They state that McKinsey says other disciplines are just as valuable in helping new hires perform well at the firm" (Harvard Business Review, February 2004).
Well, may be there is some truth in it and that is why there are even books written about the failure of MBAs. It always seems to me that MBAs have a blockbox thinking, as I call it. That they see the world in a frame that no longer exists - that they put the world into formulas without really thinking of what is going on in the marketplace and the "realtime" consumer. In this sense, I agree with the discussion that is ongoing on Tom Peters' blog.
But may be as well, a MBA becomes the entry ticket into the business world, while the discipline that someone takes besides the MBA makes one stand out. Or, alternatively, that someone needs to work first before the journey to obtain a MBA should be taken - I heard that this is the way how an MBA in India is done - that Indians first work, before they go for an MBA.
But in the end, it is the mindset that counts and what else do you bring to the table. How you do your work, how much passion you put into your career and the contribution and value added that you provide to a team (and I purposely don't say company).
I worked on a project, way back High School and interviewed a CEO about their recruitment practices. He told me and my friend the following. He said that he rather hires someone with Bs or Cs who worked besides the studies (a common practice in Germany) than someone with straight As. Why? Because the one who worked knows how to adjust in a business environment. He or she knows that there is not always a right or wrong, but also a may be. The one with the As might be arrogant, and only believes in his or her own opinion. Messes up the corporate culture, so to speak. However, this might be a single, individual case - how many companies are there that believe that they don't need MBAs?
What brings me back to the original statement - may be there is the additional discipline that someone needs aside of an MBA to stand out from the crowd.
What do you think?
Posted by Andreas at 05:30 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Volkswagen ad - I am glad it doesn't run
There is this ad that showed a suicide bomber driving up to a cafe in a Volkswagen and than, the car is detonated. Only - nothing happens to the by-standers or the car. Why? Because the car is so strong. Get the message? I didn't get it and I think it is tasteless.
It is neither funny, nor viral and I agree with Calacanis that Autoblog made the right decision not to run it. Not sensitive to those who have lost friends and relatives to suicide bombers. This is not an ad that challenges perception or makes me want to buy a Volkswagen. In fact, I would feel bad about it - this is a negative viral ad.
Adrant writes that Volkswagen is, predictably, disavowing any knowledge of the ad. Sure they do!!! They have to - or, who is commissioning their ads? But now, what they really need to do is to come out and do some damage control. Before the negative perception gets out of hand and the Volkswagen brand gets damaged.
Posted by Andreas at 01:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 21, 2005
30 Seconds of Fame
I was watching AXN this afternoon.
One of the many reality shows. In this one, someone has to perform something in 30 seconds, cheered on by the audience. They are artists of 30 seconds (The show is called 20 Seconds of Fame).
Hola-hoop performers, jugglers, tap-stepping, singeres. In their real life, they are clerks, students, somebody normal.
The question that I was asking, is, does their boss realize their potential? Is their company using it?
How often is it the case that you have an underutilized employee at work, somebody bored, disengaged and unhappy, that turns into a CEO of an organization at night, a moonlighter who is a gifted web developer or an artist.
So, what are you doing, besides your job, and does your company realise your incredible knowledge and creativity?
Posted by Andreas at 10:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Truck driver not allowed to rest? Duh?
I found this at LoneStar. and continued to clicked on the article in The Star about the truck driver who was fined for overstaying on the highway.
His problem? He drove on the highway for one hour and used the Sungai Perak rest area for about 2 hours.
Plus asked that he should explain why he used the highway for 3 hours instead of the usual 2. Man, the math is in the statment - one plus two is three.
Why the two hours? He rested. May be he was tired, may be he was hungry - he probably wanted to fullfill his needs. That is the offer of a rest area, isn't it? What does Plus expect? That he speeds off, after a short while, to make it on time to the tollbooth? Despite being hungry and tired?
Do they want him to fall asleep on the stirring wheel, and have a major accident?
The worse part actually is that he should explain to Plus, why he used the highway for such a long time. Company-centric thinking, once again.
Posted by Andreas at 11:32 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Remember JibJab
Remember JibJab, the guys who created the animated music video before the US election?
They just produced their follow up on it. Here is to JibJab and President Bush's second term:
JibJab - The Second Term
It takes a 5.8 MB to download and start the movie, so try it only if you have time or broadband!
Posted by Andreas at 10:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 20, 2005
Chief Blogging Officer
Well, the question was thrown up here and here. Do we really need one? Don't we have too many "C" already, now we get a new department, a new executive, and some assistants, may be someone who jumps in when the boss is not around, but out to catch some stories to blog about?
Isn't it better when everybody in the organisation had a right to blog anyway? Total transparancy might be too much for some companies but than, to establish a department for blogging? Knock knock?
Posted by Andreas at 11:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
My kid's school and the traffic jam
Those who read my blog for a very long time (say, August 16, 2004), know that I loved my kid's school. Yeah, I write in past tense, because now, my feeling has dropped, ever so slightly.
But they expanded last year, build a new block for secondary kids. This year, there is a lot more traffic. Before, parents would speed, they just cannot do it differently, but about 1 kilometer before the school entrance, they would slow down and start lining up. May be I know the guy in front of me, and what would he think when I cut him off just like that, might have been the thought.
This was possible, because the school was smaller - more personal. Now, they doubled in size and boy, do the parents and driver need to show off their cars and their driving skills. Fighting for space until 10.5 meter before the main entrance.
In the afternoon, and as usual, the gates to the school are opened on time and to be one of the first, those picking up the kids must be there early.
But that doesn't impede those that have no time at all. They cut in. And in the end, they block the whole road, all three lanes. It is a main road, luckily, with not too much traffic to go beyond the school - yet. But if you happen to get stuck, you have to wait, for the rest. Look at the picture (taken with camera phone, so my apologies that it is a bit blur).
You see the red jeep in front cutting in. In the opposite lane, you can see how all the lanes on the road are totally blocked.
What do parents teach their children about values? How was this again, with the rude Malaysian?
Posted by Andreas at 10:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
That's a WoW
There were seven comments in the last entry in which I inquired about your definition of a WoW. That's good enough. Not great in numbers, but that's okay. It is not the quantity that counts, but the quality, and hey, you were great, of high quality.
At least this is my personal impression. There are no winners as well, so I send an invitation for a Gmail account to all of you.
Why are there no winners?
Simple. Because a WoW is different for everybody. It is a personal experience. What a personal WoW is for someone is a normal experience for someone else. There might be no common ground.
It is the personal touch that goes into our life that touches our heart. That makes us feel the emotion, the caring in the other side.
For de Book Worm, it is very similar to what I am feeling when I have the WoW. It blows me out of the water, that is what I am saying, while she says that it is totally out of the world. Personal and individual!
For Buaya, it is the "pheewoooweet!" which is individual, Buaya, and an expression of greatest joy.
For Todd, a WoW is personal as well as professional. It is a WoW to see a great sales presentation, but there are many more things that he counts as WoW that come from experiences with his family.
For Norzu, it is the experience of something new - a new restaurant experience with friends or the discovery of a new location, or something, her heart beats for - Manchester United (Norzu, your new blog design is awesome!!!)
For Bawang Merah, it is the experience outside the own personal experience that drives the passion. When someone else succeeds in a great challenge. This is great, altruistic, worthwhile a leader's attitude. "I succeed when you succeed."
Nilesh, your entry is great. Speaks of sarcasm, but also to find the things between things, the truth behind some appearance. Once you see the pattern well, you might not believe that this happened to you and go, damn, it happened, WoW. True or not?
Jess, your entry is based on what you experienced and the longing to do it again, and again, and again. To repeat and search for the repetition of a WoW. This can be frustrating, you, know, since, well, once you know what comes up to you, it is tough to get the same personal feeling again. In business life, you are the toughest customer that pushes the bar, and in your personality, you might push yourself constantly to get better. And that is also how I got to know you. questioning, asking, pushing!!!
The great piece is that all comments came from really, really great blogs, personal blogs, blogs that show a lot of passion for the thing they are standing for, they are doing. Thanks a lot. It is a WoW to know all of you!
Posted by Andreas at 09:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 19, 2005
What's a Wow for you?
Todd, over at Business Thoughts suggested that I should post an entry describing the meaning of "Always Wow".
I did something related earlier in my old blog. But over time, it went down the rank of postings, it was in my old blog and lasty, now I am here in Movable Types.
I could copy and paste it, of course, but before I do this, I want to take a reality check.
I am asking those that follow the blog:
What is a WoW for You? What is it that needs to happen that you believe is a Wow?
And yeah - I have plenty of Gmail accounts (about 10). So if you need one, and you give me a good WoW with your statement, and you are amongst the first ten, tell me so. I am more than happy to send an invitation to you.
Can? Please do it, don't hold back, and shoot from all angles.
Posted by Andreas at 06:04 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Loyalty cards
Last Sunday, during the Blogger’s meeting in Starbucks, I went to get a cup of coffee.
They asked me if I have a loyalty card – I had none, but also told them that I don’t want one. I have so many already, and I believe, my wife has even more.
Have you realize that loyalty card schemes become more and more prevalent? Just open your wallets and your purses and count them.
You buy and buy something with the loyalty card, and than, sometimes in the nearer or farer future, you get a free price, mostly a product.
In Jaya Jusco and being a good purchaser, well, the cashier register shows the sign: Good Customer.
Does this “celebration” change anything? Nope. You still don’t get a smile from them, or an acknowledgement, straight away, right at the cashier.
But this is not what I am getting at, also it is upsetting. Especially when you want to redeem the free price you get from Jusco.
A long queue, and waiting, waiting, waiting. Customers redeeming their price get actually punished for using their loyalty cards.
Does a loyalty card make me more loyal, to any one company? Nope, not at all. I grab the price but I won’t necessarily come back to them, if service gets bad, or the food quality declines (or the queue gets too long).
In many cases, would the company come back to me, to check, if all is alright withme, when I or my wife don’t purchase that much anymore in their place? It hasn’t happen to me. Let’s get back to Jaya Jusco – they collect all those data, and I believe they have a great database that collects all those data. But still, there is no personalised communication from them to my wife, when she is not shopping in Jusco anymore.
They could do that, couldn’t say? All you get is the brochure that let’s you decide on your free price or their invitation to have the pleasure of early shopping (late at night), when they offer a sale. You can shop/ spend money, before anybody else.
But no birthday greetings, or inquiry, if you are sick, if you haven’t shopped with them for let’s say, 6 months. Or your purchase level drops dramatically suddenly. No question asked, what happened to you. Is this asked for too much?
I think that this personalised service creates more loyalty than any loyalty card. Especially since loyalty cards are all around us, thus, they don’t offer any competitive advantage. Just one more card in my wallet, taking more of the limited space.
Tim Manner, over at Fast Company writes about Loyalty Cards today – I found his writing at Seth’s blog. He talked to Spence Hapoienu, CEO of Insight Out Of Chaos, who is in the loyalty card business.
Spence said "A loyalty card is a piece of plastic. Most loyalty programs are plastic. They do nothing more than replace traditional paper coupons with electronic coupons. Why would that generate loyalty?"
Anna Schyver of Land's End is quoted in the article as well. She says that "Customers who customize are more loyal."
I would say that companies who created personalised and customised the experience create loyal customers and wins in the business.
I just read this entry about Singapore Airlines:
While I don't agree with the first action - cancel the account because it hasn't been used for a long time - I like the second mail send to Prema
Posted by Andreas at 12:47 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Business orientation and my kid
I just love my kid, and I think it comes through in this blog.
Lately, he has this thing of becoming a "Businessman" when he is big. He also asks me if I am a businessman. Last week, he had this idea of selling Playstations to China - don't ask me where he got this from.
Yesterday, he seriously discussed price issues with my wife. It is his idea to sell lollipops in school.
Apparently, there are more kids in his school starting ventures. One kid sold paperguns recently, until the principal stepped in.
I think it is great. It is my task to nurture the mindset. To prevent that "traditional" school education and the constant exam orientation is destroying his adventurous ideas. I need to take care that I am providing him with the background to start something, anything (well not everything is up for grabs, so). In the end, at least, he might be able to pay me some pocketmoney.
Posted by Andreas at 09:41 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 18, 2005
The rude Malaysian
So we know it now, finally. What Malaysians think are the rudest habits. The list was just published in The Star. Radio Stations talk about it.
The list contains 16 items. It ranges from the rudest one on top being “Inconsiderate Driving” to the last ranked “Boasting About Your Wealth Among Less Fortunate People.”
Here is the chart.
Table taken without permission from the Star - URL above)
Nice to know that. This comes in line with the Prime Minister’s initiative to develop a courtesy drive amongst Malaysians (did we ever complain about Singapore and their need for such initiatives?).
But how come I have nagging doubts about the success of this initiative?
How come I don’t believe that anything will change? That the friendly will stay friendly, while the rude will stay rude and take advantage of the friendly ones? Knowingly or unknowingly?
How come I still see people smoking in public places, a schoolbus racing and cutting in, people cutting the lines?
How come…
How come …
How come…
Where are all the "bad Malaysian, those rude ones?
Where are all the good ones?
My opinion? I think it is an individual effort that is needed - one-to-one, and not something that is driven via top-down approaches. Sure, don't neglect it, but a more personal drive is needed. Friend tells friend. Relative tells relative. Ask them to stop their habit when you see it.
Otherwise, those who are rude have the feeling, that it doesn’t involve them. They are not aware of the drive. They just keep doing what they kept doing before. Stealing other peoples time, causing other people to get ulcers.
Posted by Andreas at 12:33 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Don't brush teeth with toilet brush
I found this link over at Seth's blog.
A reward has ben given for the wackiest consumer warnings. The winner was the sign on the toilet brush that says it best: “Do not use for personal hygiene.”
The second prize went to the entry for a label on a children’s scooter that said “This product moves when used.”
The third prize went to the submission of a warning from a digital thermometer that said, “Once used rectally, the thermometer should not be used orally.”
It happens when companies get used to being sued. So, before getting sued, better put the weirdest warning at the product.
Do we have any of such things in Malaysia?
Posted by Andreas at 08:16 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 16, 2005
Bloggers meeting in Starbucks
We had great fun, when we met today in the Starbucks in 1 Utama. All in all, we were about 20 bloggers hanging around, filling up the tables. Messing with the arrangements in Starbucks. Borrowing chairs from the neighbouring shop. Chit chatting, laughing and a lot of fun.
See the first pictures at AlwaysWoW - sorry, they are not so clear, since a camera in a phone is not yet that great. However, others will post as well, I guess.
But for the time being, please wait for the respective naming of the people. I might not get it correct for all of them. My apologies.
One of the three groups that formed:
Jess, Rizuan and ... - he manages radio stations. Impressive.
Famous Jordan and Leen, his wife
Ladies and Gentleman: The Silencerrrrrrrr......
We were not only guys. The girls arrived first and sat outside. The guys initially formed a different group that sat inside. Only after a while did they realise that the original groups was outside and off they went to combine with each other.
The interesting part of a bloggers meet is that you know each other via your blogger name, not the real name. And you know a hell of a lot of the different people whose blog one follows. Which is funny, because one is able to end the sentence for the storyteller. Or I can say, yeah, I know this, you blogged about it.
What is damn interesting as well is that there were older and younger bloggers together. No generation gap. Fantastico!!!!
Update:
Here are the pictures from Dusty Hawk:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/dustyhawk/39310.html
and his write-up:
http://dustyhawk.blogdrive.com/archive/329.html
Here the write-up by Jordan:
http://macvaysia.blogspot.com/2005/01/invasion-of-bloggers.html
And here you find Peter's update:
http://www.petertan.com/blog/archives/2005/01/when_bloggers_m.html
Here is the next one:
http://thesilentscope.blogspot.com/2005/01/meet-bloggers-photos.html plus a real great write up:
http://thesilentroom.blogspot.com/2005/01/meet-bloggers.html
Here are Chet's:
http://www.chetscorner.com/chatter/index.php?m=20050116
Edrej's piece
http://www.kamigoroshi.net/2005/01/gathering-after-darkest-night.html
Posted by Andreas at 04:07 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
January 15, 2005
Hair Shampoo
I said earlier that it is easy to be different. Let's have a look at another example, this time from an industry that is, well, all over us - I am talking about hair shampoo.
This one stands out - is is produced by Bed Head Tigi and called Dumb Blonde.
The backsite (no, not yours) reads:
"Not just for Dumb Blondes - its for Racy Redheads, and Brunette Buxon too...." And in the end, as a warning: "You Must Have A Sense Of Humor To Use Our Products".
Great! (If only the writing on the back would be more convenient to read for my old eyes!)
Posted by Andreas at 05:49 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Movenpick Marche in The Curve
Movenpick Marche in The Curve is great. It is highly efficient in its operating model, which is oriented towards operational efficiency. So far, it works great and the lines outside the restaurant are proof of its success:
From the entry onwards, everything is pretty fast, but is not neglecting the customer experience.
The attendant at the entry checks whether or not there is a table available for your number of people visiting the restaurant - this takes care of the fact that a small group of people won't occupy a large table, especially in high-traffic times.
Next, the attendant who brings you to your table sticks a sign "occupied" to the table.
There are different types of "stalls" (if you can call them so) preparing different types of food (mostly Western) around the place. You can find sausages, Pizza, steaks, salads, noodles. Nasi Goring Kampung is the only Malaysian dish offered.
The guests are expected to get the food themselves. That is why they received a piece of paper at the entrance. Everytime you get food from one of the stalls, a stamp is put on that paper. Payment is at the exit.
Here a picture of the guys preparing the sausages.
Sure, being a German, I had to take those. And the sausages are good, something is not easily said about sausages in other places.
The waiters are helpful. They are in the back, but if you need something, they are fast. They also clean the table pretty quickly, after you finish. And remove the tray, when you come with the food. Which enhances the eating experience. I always have trouble with the trays, and how often do people put the tray at the neighburing table.
The interior is nice, as you can see from the next picture.
And sure, they provide a special experience, something that is enlightening. Look at this toilet door. I always think that toilets, their look and cleanliness, are an indicator about the quality of the restaurant. So here we go:
The business model, as surprising as it might be, resembles McDonalds. Efficiency. Fast turnaround of visitors. Service at its bare minimum. Where is the difference? The experience at the edges. The restaurant environment. The setting. The different types of food. Of course, prices are higher than McDonalds. They can charge for the experience. Interesting, I have to say. Really, try it!
And, thanks to Mystic who commented already - the food is great. I forgot to write this point.
Posted by Andreas at 04:31 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
January 14, 2005
Power failure - think differently
Everybody was upset about the power failure yesterday. Sure there were emergencies in the hospitals, problems in the operation theaters, accidents due to lack of traffic lights. People were upset because they came home late, stuck in elevators and industrial losses might be high. But there were candlelight diners and some might have done something differently and out of the routine, actually, and didn't watch TV (or blog, for that matter). And hey - don't forget. Many of us went home from work early, yesterday, taking the opportunity - let's check in 9 months if.... (no, that goes too far!).
Everybody complains, and damn it, they are right. It is inconvenient, and not appropriate for an aspiring nation such as Malaysia. But hey - we have power failures in other places as well - think about the power failure in New York or Canada. At least we don't have riots, when it happens here.
There is criticism on how Tenaga has handled the crisis.
Tenaga Nasional Bhd deputy chief executive Abdul Hadi Mohamad Derus had told a news conference:
""I don't know how it happened. I am also puzzled"
Hey - this is an honest answer. Imagine we would live elsewhere in the world, let's say the US. Corporate Communications would draft some nicely formulated statement. Public relations would give the first statements, to calm down the reporters, and the people. Marketing would get into action to damage the control via a smartly thought-out advertisement and other promotional campaign that will launch the moment the incident is over. Market research would do some quick PulseLine research to see if the perception has changed. The CEO would also give a statement, smooth and cool - yacky, yacky, yacky, that no one understands and everyone feels addressed and is happily living ever after.
Here, the Ministers are at least still close to the Rakyat, speak their mind openly, they are not removed from their people by layers and layers and layers of departments. They meet the press directly after the incidence, without any idea or information. They don't wait until someone has prepared a piece of paper for them that they just have to write. I don't mean this ironically, serious. Sure, the statements might not sound professionally sometimes, but at least they is honest, and down to earth. This doesn't mean that they shouldn't have an answer, of course. After a while, they need to know. Their operations need to improve so that it doesn't happen again. Losses should be avoided, of course. But give them the chance to fail. Don't we all fail from time to time? Isn't it easy to criticise and know better, in hindsight?
Give them a break, okay?
Posted by Andreas at 07:14 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Restaurant experiences - a lesson to learn
If you want to run a restaurant or a hawker stall, the entry ticket to do so is great food. If you cannot cook and you don’t have a great cook to do it for you, don’t even try to open the door. You won’t last long. After the first wave of customers, no one would come back anyway – well, Malaysians are a caring lot, so they might actually come back a second time. But a third and a fourth time? Only if there is no competition and “where got?” But surely, a restaurant with bad food is not a recipe for growth or long lasting success.
The next step that you need to decide on is the type of service you deliver. As barer the restaurant is as more you need waiters and waitresses that can make up for the lack of visual appeal. I am serious here. They would need to be extremely funny, special, passionate, entertaining or whatever. Just think what happens if there is a guest coming to your place and he or she is alone. Put yourself into his shoes and see, what kind of restaurant he would look for. The guest would look for something that is appealing to the eye. It must be entertaining enough even for a single person to feel okay to eat in even on a Friday evening.
However if there is a lot of visual entertainment in the restaurant already, you might want to have service that is more in the background, laid back, but at hand when needed. Visuals doesn’t mean that there is a need for a television set. Of course, television is needed, when you run a sportsbar. As bigger as better, in that case.
But for a normal place, you don’t need that. If you have visuals, you need to have waiters or waitresses that bring the beer, when the guest requires it. Don’t expect the guest to wave his or her arm, just to get your attention. Not good – close the door of your place and go drink a beer somewhere else.
Customer experience is to eat in great restaurant where the menu card also looks great – but how often do you find a greatly designed menu? Often, and even in great restaurants, you are happy to get a menu that doesn’t look to greasy.
You pay the price, right?
I was in Piccolo Mondo Pizzeria in Megamall recently. Nice place, clearly, you pay for your food - it is oriented towards customer experience, not towards operational efficiency, like KFC. But I love Pizza, honestly – not Pizza Hut, or Shakey’s necessarily, also sometimes, I also eat there. Pizza is Pizza if you need it!!
But boy, it took a long time to get the waiters to come. Their competency was very much restricted to looking away when you want to order something. I thought it is required to order in order to run a restaurant.
It also took a while to get someone to bring the Parmesan Cheese and other spices. The Pizza wasn’t spicy or cheesy enough, but normally, a Pizza restaurant always offers the guest additional cheese or spices.
And hey, it would be great to have some more noodles in the noodle soup. Otherwise, it could be called Soup with a few noodles”.
The only friendly guy suitable for the restaurant was either the manager or owner. He saw my hand waving and came - straight away. We asked him if it is possible to pack the food. He smiled and even joked --too much food? You are full, eh? Yeah we were. But he put all the 4 slices into one Tupperware. And well, they were from different types of pizzas. They also shouldn’t be put in top down.
The Pizza was okay, somewhat – but the experience. Well, not really great, friendly speaking.
Posted by Andreas at 03:59 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 13, 2005
Interpersonal Intelligence
May be I am one of the last one to post this one here, but well, so be it. I found it at the Branding Blog and may be I learnt a thing or two about me.
It is interesting to know ones personality type and that is why I am doing those tests. While doing the tests, I always "try" to manage my expectations. This means that I try to foresee the possible results. Many times, I am surprised, nevertheless, what is good.
| Your Dominant Intelligence is Interpersonal Intelligence |
 You would make a good counselor, salesperson, politician, or business person. |
And hey - I am going for a training to Singapore in slightly more than a week. I did another test this morning, in preparation for this training. It also was about estimating my personality and how I relate to people. Wonder, if I should bring the chart from this test with me.
Posted by Andreas at 08:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
It is so easy to be different
It is so easy to stand out, to be different and attractive. But if you look around, all you see are similar products copycat-ted from somewhere, or benchmarked elsewhere.
I showed Hardie's Monsterburger earlier in my old blog. The success of this burger even surprised the CEO.
Mack is also presenting his thoughts about the burger.
Look around you - there is hardly any colour on our roads. Only recently did Perodua and some other companies start colouring their cars. Before, it was grey, and grey and some more grey. Boring. No, wrong: BORING (How do I change the colour in Movable Type??).
Now, today, I saw this car in a car park in Bangsar. In the new shopping mall. Different. It stood out, like the one that I recently saw on the road in Bangsar.
Sure, the colour (pity, it is not THAT clear on the posted picture) is not to everybody's taste. Would a banker drive the car? Or a Tan Sri, Dato' or Datuk? A macho guy or a punk? I don't know, but I think it attracts attention. How does it make the driver look? Cool? Different? Smart? Creative?
What are you doing to be different today?
I love it!!
Posted by Andreas at 05:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 12, 2005
The world in the year 2014
Do you want to know how the world of ICT looks like in the year 2014? Than you need to see this video. It is a 8 minute video, lengthy, but surely worth your time. Big promise! But give it some time in the beginning. The fliggering that you see is part of the movie.
First it starts by saying that it is the year 2014. In the year 2014, the New York Times has gone offline. The Fourth estate's Fortunes have waned. What happened to the new?
Flashback to history. It starts with the invention of the WorldWide Web in 1989 followed by the founding of Amazon.com (1994). Google (1998), and TiVo (1999) is introduced with their advantages and how those companies pushed the boundaries of the web.
This is followed by the creation of Blogger by Pyrolab in 1999 and Friendster in 2002.
I don't want to mention all that is in the video but it really starts with its story in 2004 - when everything begins as it says. - Gmail is launched, Amazon launches A9. The story describes the escalating battle between Google and Microsoft. The invention of electronic paper by Sony and Philips. Google buys Tivo and later merges with Amazon.com to become GoogleZon. Microsoft battles back by developing Newsbot and acquiring Friendster.
Well, I don't want to describe all that is happening, but in 2010, GoogleZon is sued by the New York Times, which ultimately loses the lawsuit and goes offline in 2014.
In between, Epic is introduced and the fascinating evolution of the web in the ever-growing grid of information that is made available to companies and individuals. What happens to the news? It is all surrounding, individualised and everybody contributes. Clearly fascinating but also scary, if you look at issues like privacy. If you are interested in what the future brings, you have to see it.
Posted by Andreas at 11:15 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
People to watch in Malaysia. How does this fare?
I wrote, just last weekend, about the Managers to Watch as published in BusinessWeek.
Malaysian Business in its current issue (Jan 1 to 15, 2005) introduces the people and companies of 20005 in Malaysia.
Whom do we find?
14 men and one woman. Is this appropriate, in a society such as Malaysia? Nothing against the achievements of the men, sure not. They are great and deserve their achievements. But than, I ask, where are all the women gone? It is said that there are more female graduates in universities than male. What happens to them? Do they end up in lower paid jobs, as housewifes, whatever? My my, so much brainpower might be wasted. Diversity is a competitive weapon. More brains are better than lesser. So women out there - tel me, what happens? And yes, guys, tell me as well. I am really curious!
Posted by Andreas at 08:51 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 11, 2005
Nok Air and AirAsia
Is this better? Nok Air in Thailand is another low-cost carrier.
They describe their culture as:
"The fun and friendly culture is reflected both internally in the organization as well as externally with all the marketing activities that reaches the consumers. Internally, an open-minded and a transparent way of working is promoted, while externally Nok Air puts consumers at the center as Nok Air reaches out to them in the most friendly way possible." They are following the concept of famous SouthWest Airlines in the US. Here, you have fun at board, but you also know that you have to carry your luckage and that you don't get food. Nok's passenger's luggage gets checked in on the beach. Passenger receive their boarding passes from swimming-suit clad airline officials. One can buy the ticket in the next 7-Eleven down the road.
Do they contrast to AirAsia? The Scarfer today put another ranting (positively meant) on the many rantings that described AirAsia's problems earlier.
They also say that their culture is caring: "Maintain respectful relationships with fellow staff and guests. Treat people in the same manner we would like to be treated. Strive to be a role model at work and in the community. Take responsibility for personal and company growth. Be an appreciative person to guests and fellow staff."
And they say that they want to provide an experience that provides a lasting impression. They want to "Display a sense of humour and the ability to laugh at ourself. Add personality (be ourself) to the guest experience." And promote passion: "Be passionate about everything we do. Crave and deliver superior performance. Use initiative to solve business and operation issues."
I love those statements. But are those problems the problem of growth that is too fast? Of recruitment procedures that hire the first person that comes in without checking, if they can handle the admittingly stressful job correctly,and passionate and with fun?
The shareprice is still growing. But I believe that this is a function of Tony Fernandes, who was voted business man of the year 2004 by BusinessWeek. He is great, he is passionate. To run airplanes was his childhood dream. He is hands-on, and on the plane, greeting passengers. But this is also done by his competitor Patee Sarasin. This passion by senior management gives AirAsia a shareprice premium. But when the customers are unhappy, and start complaining loudly, in the Internet or in the letters to the editors, it will have an effect on a company's performance.
I also wonder how the critics fare with Nok Air. But where do I put this entry? AirAsia is a turn-off, and Nok still sounds like fun. I leave it were it is....
Posted by Andreas at 09:40 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
They always come in pairs - Motorola launches another hip product
Just a couple of days ago, I wrote about Motorola's motorcycle helmet with a cellphone headset. Okay, the opinions about its advantages or disadvantages were split.
Now, Motorola attacks another market with a similar product.
They are launching a "line of outerwear that uses interactive cell phone and portable music technology in snowboarding jackets, in a bid to win over twentysomethings. The jackets will have a padded casing for a Motorola cell phone and an MP3 music player. They will feature a device on the sleeve that lets the wearer control incoming and outgoing calls, and toggle back and forth to music, sending audio signals to removable speakers in the hood."
Well, they might be crashing against trees or other snow "fanatics", but surely, they do so in style. What do you think?
Posted by Andreas at 02:32 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Good bye to a great pair of shoes
Its time to say good-bye to my Reebok sportshoes. They are falling apart, the side of the left shoe is getting loose.
They were with me since 1999. Since the time I worked in Singapore. Also, they didn't cost much. I think about RM70 or RM80, all in all (how much "all'' do you get in a sportshoe anyway?). Nothing fancy, just some white sportshoes. But look at the quality - it blows me away.
I mean, I have used them intensively since I joined Fitness First three and a half years ago. Mostly, I am 2 times in the gym per week.
A heavy run of 16 minutes per round. This means, I ran a total of 4,992 minutes in them (52 weeks * 2 times per week * 3 years * 16 minutes - Germans, so detailed, mah) - since I am not that regular anymore, I took only 3 years into account.
Look at the number - these are 83.2 hours in total or 3.5 days! Hey, that doesn't sound that much, actually considering all the sweat, but think about it, how long it actually is!
Now they break - at the side. May be they last a few more runs. So if you see a guy running and sweating with shoes falling apart – say hi. That’s me.
Thanks Reebok, for great pair of high quality shoes that lasted way beyond.
Posted by Andreas at 08:22 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 10, 2005
Freak Weather
Just some headlines:
Winter Getting Shorter in Seoul
Winter has been found to be getting shorter in Seoul while spring and summer are getting longer due mainly to global warming and rapid industrialization.
Relentless Storm Pounds S. California
Areas of the Sierra Nevada, famous for paralyzing amounts of snowfall, have been hit with a dumping like they haven't seen in generations, with steep drifts stranding an Amtrak train, knocking out the Reno airport and shutting down major highways across the mountains.
Three dead, thousands flee homes as floods hit England
Three people were found dead in northwest England, where one of the worst storms for decades flooded over 1,000 homes, as strong winds lashed northern Europe.
Devastating storms batter Europe
It was a weekend that brought death, hurricane winds and flooding to northern Europe.
Ketchup SOS saves snowbound climbers
More than 30 people have been airlifted to safety after being trapped by heavy snowfall at the highest pub in Africa for several days in life-threatening conditions.
And don't forget the Tsunami. Am I worried and blow things out of proportions? May be. But may be it is worrysome and we should start to take care of our Earth - remember, we don't have another one in our booth.
Posted by Andreas at 04:16 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Fun: Learning about Energy
This is a fun webpage - but educational. Great for kids, young adults, those who still need to know about energy or want to know more about it.
It has been developed by the American Petroleum Institute and shows sections about extraction and usage of Energy and Natural Gas in our world.
Check it out - it really is worthwhile!
It would be great to know more of such weblinks. Anybody knows some more?
Posted by Andreas at 12:23 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Consistency important to keep brand image
When my family and I went to The Curve last Saturday, we also decided to do our grocery shopping in Tesco. So off we went – and to keep the story that follows in perspective, you have to know that basically, we are entering a different shopping mall, as we leave The Curve to go to Ikano Mall.
I believe both have been developed by the same developer, but are somewhat separated.
Our trolley was pretty full after shopping, so after paying, we asked the question, if it is possible to go back to The Curve’s parking lot, where our car was parked. As a consumer, that is your right. You couldn’t care less that these are different malls, and since they are connected, a consumer assumes that it is possible to push the trolley from Tesco to the other side. In fact, my wife commented correctly that this is free advertising. We are pushing a trolley full of Tesco plastic bags.
But I am getting ahead of the story. First, we asked the girl at the cashier. Umph – no clear response. She wasn’t sure, but she tried to help without compromising the other customer that was standing behind us. She ask another employee, who in turn called a guard, also employed by Tesco.
The guard, a younger person was nasty. He basically said that this is our problem. We would have to carry our shopping bags (and we had a lot) and there would be no one to help us.
We checked with another employee, who called her manager. Only here became it clear that she had the authority to decide, and yes, she said, there is no problem and we can push the trolled to the parking lot.
Tesco is actually quite an interesting company. Clearly, hypermarkets are laid out to operational efficiency. Keep the prices low, limit customer service without totally sacrificing it by allowing customers to move around quickly.
In the UK, Tesco was known to have introduced the policy that once more than two people queue up at a cashier register, they have to open another one. Convenient for the customer, but also to keep the aisles with the products empty (look at other hypermarkets where there is a long queue and how it stars handicapping the shopping of consumers, once the queue penetrates the actual product area).
It was visible in the market on Saturday – until we reached the cashier, everything was smooth and the people working there were friendly.
What does it teach us?
1.) Employees at all levels need to know what is possible and what not. This is empowerment and should work across the value chain.
2.)Contradicting statements confuse the consumer, damage the experience and the brand and create negative words-of-mouth.
3.) The customer should be assured quickly that decisions that are made against his or her apparent intention are in his or her best.
4.)Operational efficiency doesn’t mean that customer satisfaction or experience can be compromised
5.)Employees should be trained in basic communications skills. It is just not possible to say to a customer or consumer that “this is your problem and you have to live with it.”
Posted by Andreas at 10:52 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 09, 2005
Hello Corporate World
BusinessWeek's January 10-17 issue introduces the Best, the Worst and the Fallen Managers 2004.
It is interesting to note that not many women made it into the ranking.
Amongst 16 of the Best Managers, only 1 is a woman: Anne Mulcahy/ Xerox.
Of those 17 Managers to Watch, 3 are women - Brenda Barnes/ Sara Lee Corp., Patricia Russo/ Lucent Technologies and Sallie Krawcheck/ Citigroup Inc.
Amongst the 7 Worst Managers, none is a woman and amongst Fallen Managers, again, none is a woman.
Hello, Corporate World - women are the decision makers in many, many purchases, big and small. Still, it is men, who run the business. But who can understand a woman better than a woman?
Additionally, there is Chung Mong Koo of Hyundai, who is the sole representative for an Asian company amongst those great managers. And Carlos Ghosn, who is the CEO of Nissan - but he is in the Repeat Performers category that I haven't included.
Hello World - it is an Asian Century. Where are your managers from Asia, where are the Asian companies.
Where is the diversity that clearly promotes business results!!
Posted by Andreas at 04:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
The Curve
A new mall has opened its doors. It shows off with a new concept. A beautiful openspace concept, I would say.
One can actually walk out of the main mall and ends up in a section that looks like a street with shoplots left and right, but has no traffic besides visitors.
After falling in love with Alamanda Mall in Putrajaya, am I falling in love with The Curve now? Let me tell you, that it is not the mall (don't tell my wife), but more so the design that gets me.
Many malls in KL look very much the same. Even the shops inside are the same.
But in an oversaturated market such as Kuala Lumpur, with penty of malls to chose from, what to do to stand out? There is already the largest mall in Southeast Asia (or the whole of Asia?), Megamall. We have Times Square with its in-house entertainment.
I am not sure which mall started to set the trend for beautification and design. But this is interesting. Design is a draw, a competitive weapon. As such, those that are the most creative in their concept might be the one that will draw the necessary crowd to stay atop the ranking. What do you think?
Posted by Andreas at 12:28 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
Sweaty Hands
I found this over at the Slacker Manager who, in turn, had his inspiration from the Monster Blog.
They talk about the "common handshake" (sounds like the common flee, hehe), and that handshakes are not that healthy. I mean, sorry, you transmit a lot of bacteria and flu- and other viruses. I actually saw an online promotion recently that advocated that kissing is healthier than a handshake.
I sometimes can't stand it. Sweaty hands, and hands, that just before you shake them where in the owner's ears, nose, mouth, wiping and other parts of the body. I met a guy once who wanted to sell me something. He had the flu. Nose running, coughing, and constantly wiped off the sweat from his face. I wanted to avoid shaking his hand, when he left, but how to do, when he stretched out his hand? Even said, sorry about the hand? The second he left, I went to wash my hands!
Without wanting to get too gross, but think about it: How many people wash their hands regularly?
Man, go to the gents (I don't know about female toilets, naturally), and see, how many guys do their business and wash their hands for may be two seconds, some even skip that step.
Am I paranoid? Probably - I survived