My note:
1. What's your main objective? Football for fan or money?
2. Devise long term strategy (e.g. 10 years) supported by short term plans and medium term reviews and corrective actions
3. Balance up profit and social contribution always the best policy.

How the Bundesliga puts the Premier League to shame

With cheap ticket prices and sound financial management, the Bundesliga is the antithesis of the Premier League

Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion is home to the world's largest stand, where the average ticket price is just €15. Photograph: Michael Sohn/AP

In Germany the fan is king. The Bundesliga has the lowest ticket prices and the highest average attendance of Europe's five major leagues. At Borussia Dortmund their giant stand holds 26,000 and costs little more than £10 for admission. Clubs limit the number of season tickets to ensure everyone has a chance to see the games, and the away team has the right to 10% of the available capacity. Match tickets double as free rail passes with supporters travelling in a relaxed atmosphere in which they can sing, drink beer to wash down their sausages, and are generally treated as desirables: a philosophy English fans can only dream of.

The Bundesliga may be Europe's only fit and proper football league – the sole major domestic competition whose clubs collectively make a profit – yet no German team has won the Champions League for nine years. This success rate, though, could be about to change following Bayern Munich's advance to the semi-finals, following their thrilling disposal of Manchester United last week at Old Trafford.

"The Bundesliga as a brand, a competition, is in good shape. We have a very, very interesting competition, a stable and sustainable business model that relies on three revenue sources," the Bundesliga chief executive, Christian Seifert, tells Observer Sport. A holy trinity comprising match-day revenue (€424m), sponsorship receipts (€573m) and broadcast income (€594m) is the main contributor to the Bundesliga's €1.7bn turnover.

A glance at the continent's other major leagues confirms the state the sport is in. On these shores Portsmouth dice with extinction, while Manchester United and Liverpool build mammoth debt mountains. In Spain, where debts are just as high, La Liga players may strike because of unpaid wages in the lower divisions. The stadiums of Italy are half-filled, and in France their clubs spend more of their income (71%) on players' wages than those of any country.

Seifert says the success of the Bundesliga is because of the "core value" of the supporter coming first at its clubs. This is why tickets are kept so cheap. "Because the clubs don't ask for more money," he explains. "It is not in the clubs' culture so much [to raise prices]. They are very fan orientated. The Bundesliga has €350m less per season than the Premier League in matchday revenues. But you could not from one day to another triple prices.

"Borussia Dortmund has the biggest stand in the world. The Yellow Wall holds 26,000, and the average ticket price is €15 (£13) because they know how valuable such a fan culture and supporter base is.

"We have a very interesting situation. First, tickets are cheap. Second, many clubs limit the percentage of season tickets. For instance, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04, Hamburg, Bayern Munich. They want to give more fans the chance to watch games live. If you have 80%, 100% then it is all the same people in the stadium. Also in Germany the guest club has the right to 10% of the tickets for its fans."

Last season La Liga attracted an average of 28,478 fans, Ligue 1 21,034, Serie A 25,304 and the Premier League 35,592. These figures are dwarfed by the Bundesliga's average of 41,904. Its soaring attendances are matched by a balanced approach to salaries. "The crucial thing in last year's €1.7bn turnover and €30m profit was that Bundesliga clubs paid less than 50% of revenue in players wages," Seifert says. This is the continent's lowest. In 2007‑08 [the most recent available year] the Premier League paid out 62%.

All this prudent financial management is achieved despite the Bundesliga's television income being a modest €594m compared with the Premier League's lucrative return of €1.94bn. Seifert explains the disparity. "The TV market in Germany is very special. When pay-TV was introduced in 1991 the average household already received 34 channels for free. Therefore we had the most competitive free TV market in the world, so this influenced the growth of pay-TV very much. We were forced to show all of the 612 games of the Bundesliga and second Bundesliga live on pay-TV. So we have to carry the production costs of this."

No Bundesliga team has won the Champions League since Bayern Munich beat Valencia in 2001 and its last finalist was Bayer Leverkusen, eight years ago. But Seifert disputes whether the small return from television rights has been a defining factor in this record. "Money-wise, Bayern Munich is ranked in the first four clubs of Europe. And bear in mind even Chelsea, which spent a hell of a lot of money in the last years, didn't win it. Sometimes you could have the feeling that the ability to win the Champions League goes in line with your willingness to burn a hell of a lot of money. For that reason I think Uefa is on very good track with their financial fair play idea."

Deloitte's accountancy figures for the 2007-08 season show all but one Premier League club (Aston Villa) to be in debt. Compare this with the Bundesliga report for last season, which offers a markedly disappointed tone when recording that "only 11 of the 18 clubs are now in the black".

Pressed further on the lack of success in Europe's premier club competition Seifert argues for sport's cyclical nature. "At the end of the 1990s the Bundesliga was the strongest in Europe. In 1997 we had won the Champions League [Borussia Dortmund] and the Uefa Cup [Schalke]," he says.

"Then in 1999, 2001 and 2002 we were in the final at least. In those days the Premier League had more money, too. It depends not only on money but the quality you have – if it only depended on money then Porto wouldn't have played Monaco in the 2004 final."

Seifert also points to German football's success in producing its own players. This is borne out by Germany being European champions at under-17, under-19, and under-21 level. "The Bundesliga and German FA made a right decision 10 years ago when they decided that to obtain a licence to play you must run an education camp [academy]. The Bundesliga and second Bundesliga spend €75m a year on these camps.

"Five thousand players aged 12-18 are educated there, which has now made the number of under-23-year-olds in the Bundesliga 15%. Ten years ago it was 6%. This allows more money to be spent on the players that are bought, and there is a bigger chance to buy better, rather than average, players," Seifert says of a league in which the stellar performers currently include Bayern's Frank Ribéry and Arjen Robben.

"When Bayern played against Manchester United Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Holger Badstuber and Thomas Müller were all homegrown," Seifert says. "So yes, it's a cyclical environment and you have to deal with that. Therefore I'd deny that you could really say whether a league is strong or weak just because one club wins or does not win the Champions League."

Seifert's view is supported by Arsenal having followed United out of the competition last week, when Arsène Wenger's team were dismantled by Barcelona, to leave no Premier League presence in the semi-finals for the first time since 2003. And for the 2012-13 season Germany should have four places in the Champions League as by then they should have overtaken Serie A in Uefa's five-year coefficients.

Seifert also has Spain in his sights. "If we consider our financial capabilities and the stability of our business model, then the aim of the Bundesliga in the long run has got to be second place behind the Premier League," he says.

Of all the Bundesliga's regulations, the recent history of English football suggests it might have benefited most from the 50+1 rule. This states that members of a club must retain at least 51% ownership, so preventing any single entity taking control. Portsmouth are the most glaring example of how an outsider might potentially ruin a club – their administrator is currently searching for their fifth owner of this season – and the Bundesliga recently reiterated the commitment to the rule following a challenge from Hannover 96.

Martin Kind, Hannover's president, wished to change the regulation. He told Observer Sport: "The rule means the loss of many Bundesliga clubs' ability to compete nationally and internationally. And in some ways it prevents further development of German football, especially those clubs who play in the lower half of the Bundesliga as they do not have enough financial resources. The ownership rule should be abandoned or modified."

While Kind adds that his lawyers believe he has a "good chance" of winning the case when it is heard at the court of arbitration for sport this year, Seifert is proud that when the 36 clubs that comprise the Bundesliga's two divisions voted on the issue "35 were against".

There are exceptions to the 50+1 rule. Yet even these appear couched in common sense. Seifert again: "Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg [whom Fulham knocked out of the Europa Cup on Thursday] are two. If a company is supporting football in a club for more than 20 years then it can acquire the majority. The idea is that a company has by then proved to fans and the league that they take their engagement in the Bundesliga seriously, that it's not just a fancy toy or part-time cash injection that [could] change from one day to another."

What the Bundesliga does allow to be transformed from one season to the next is the prospect of any and all its clubs mounting a realistic tilt at the title as Wolfsburg's triumph, the first in their 64-year history, proved last season.

"In the last three years of the Bundesliga we have three different cup winners and three different champions," Seifert says. "Sepp Herberger, the coach of the West German team that won the 1954 World Cup, said: 'You know why people go to the stadium? Because they don't know how it ends.'"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/apr/11/bundesliga-premier-league

Good list of articles to improve business writing

1) Good list of articles to improve business writing

http://www.hodu.com/BC-Menu3.shtml

2) http://tools.devshed.com/c/a/Online-Business-Help/The-6-Principles-of-Business-Writing/

Arsène Wenger's revival at Arsenal will take time

On the outskirts of Chernobyl, in a town called Chernigov, stands a children's cancer hospital.

By Henry Winter
Published: 10:30PM GMT 26 Feb 2010

In the right direction: Arsene Wenger points to the way forward for Arsenal Photo: PA

Every night inside the Revival Centre, patients offer up thanks to Arsenal Football Club, who have brought funds and hope to a blighted region. With 2,000 treated last year, many children now survive.

Some don't. The last request of a 15-year-old terminally ill girl was that she be buried in her beloved Arsenal top.

Arsène Wenger admits to feeling "humbled'' by the work of Arsenal's dynamic community department in places as far afield as Chernobyl as well as in their Islington backyard. The manager assiduously supports such acts of benevolence as those involved with the Revival Centre readily testify.

"When I discovered how sick these children were in Chernigov, I wrote to all the Premier League managers,'' explained George Mills, a charismatic Londoner who has dedicated his life to helping the victims of Chernobyl. "Arsène was the only one who replied."

Wenger put Mills in touch with Alan Sefton, the energetic head of Arsenal in the Community. "Arsenal gave me van loads of kit, books and boots to take out,'' continued Mills. "And then they began sending coaches out to train kids and local people.'' Money and medical equipment followed.

"It has been a miracle. We now have seven buildings and 127 staff in the Revival Centre. When we go there, everybody in the town shouts 'Arsenal, Arsenal'. When everybody else seemed to have forgotten them, this famous English club came to them – and saved lives.''

Mills joined Wenger and Sefton at the Emirates on Thursday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Arsenal in the Community. Sitting in the Legends suite, Wenger listened intently to all the stories about how Arsenal were tackling every scourge from obesity, knife-crime and illiteracy to the enduring fallout from a nuclear disaster, as happened at Chernobyl in 1986.

"When I hear all this, I know even more that the team has a responsibility not to let the community and the club down,'' said Wenger, having found an empty corporate box for a quiet chat.

The thoughtful Frenchman looked through the window at his field of dreams. He glanced at the list of club honours etched into the stands. So much at Arsenal is going right but they crave a first trophy in five years. "Trophies are the cherry on the cake,'' Wenger stressed.

Really? Surely trophies are the cake and the cherry is the performance? And so began a debate about Wenger's credo.

"People say in the last five years Arsenal have achieved nothing! Which would you prefer: winning the Carling Cup or reaching the Champions League final? Champions League final of course.

"In 2006 we have been in the final. But because we did not get the trophy, people say the achievement of reaching the final was rubbish. But it's the first time Arsenal have reached the Champions League final. That's an achievement.

"Don't forget, some other people fight for trophies as well. If you are a 100-metre sprinter today, you can be fantastic but you have to beat Usain Bolt. If you were born 10 years earlier, you would be the best in the world. That's competition.

"We fight Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and Aston Villa. They are not all Usain Bolt but they are all good teams. And we are not Usain Bolt.''

Arsenal challenge for honours the "pure'' way, Wenger argued, by balancing the books. He nodded at the mention of the debts at United and Liverpool.

"At some stage they will have to obey the financial rules. It cannot go on forever. If you earn £1,000 and you spend £2,000, you can last a couple of months but then somebody knocks on the door.'' A lesson in managing finance]

That somebody could be Wenger's compatriot, Michel Platini, the Uefa president who plans to ban teams from Europe if debts are not addressed.

Clubs with real money, such as City, threaten Arsenal in the long term.

"City will get it right,'' said Wenger. "They need time. We have to count City as a competitive force in the future because of the money. City and Chelsea have a way to be successful. Buying players of 27, 28 is the easiest way to do management.

"We have gone a different way: we have created a special spirit because our players have lived together from 16 onwards. It is important for football in general that Arsenal are successful; it will make people believe there is not only one way.

"I listen to people who say: "We lost but we had five or six players of 22'. Twenty-two! We have an average age of 22 and we're fighting for the championship.''

But what of the fans' fear that some stars might leave if the silverware does not arrive? "They are all on long contracts. That means we decide what will happen. All the talk about Fabregas and Barcelona is nonsense.

"The most difficult job I have faced in football has been in the last five years: to move into a new stadium with young players and maintain the club at the top in a Champions League position. I fight very hard to do this. I don't get the credit.

"We have all the assets you need: strong team, strong financial situation, a new stadium. The next step is the trophies. It will come naturally. Of course, we are under increasing pressure to deliver from the media and the fans.

"Of course I will worry if we don't win a trophy this year. I worry every year. I know how much energy I put into this job.''

So the lure of Real Madrid was never an issue?

"I was never tempted to go to a place with money. When I sign a contract, I try to go to the end of it. I felt I was needed here because I have gone into a process of developing young players. It would have been unfair to walk away and say 'do what you want now'. It was important for me to be steady and strong.''

Such "moral values'', as Wenger described them, define a man who assimilated many principles while coaching in Japan.

"I loved watching sumo. When a sumo wins, he never shows his happiness out of respect for his opponent. I found it classy. And I loved how the Japanese work incredibly hard.

"Life is about performance. It is about hard work. If we live well in society, it is because people before us worked very hard. The guys who invented the vaccine and the aeroplane didn't lie about. A little boy in a shanty town with belief, talent and attitude can become the best player in the world. With hard work.''

Such industry would bring reward for the team of Fabregas, Wenger believed, just as it did for his 2003-2004 vintage of Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry.

"The Invincibles were not always as creative as our modern team but they had fantastic players and they were five, six years older than this team. To make it 49 games unbeaten you need not only to be good, you need to be highly focused and they were.''

Contrasted with earlier Wenger sides, his current model gets accused of lacking leaders. "A leader is somebody who influences in a positive way the people who are with him – and that can be through different ways.

"Tony Adams was an outspoken, authoritative, tactical leader from the back. Fabregas is more a leader through skill, commitment and desire to win. Sol Campbell is a leader, a winner. He's ready to die to win. I can see him going to the World Cup.

"There are other potential leaders in this team. You will see them in three, four years. When John Terry had the England captaincy taken away, there was the same question: who are the leaders in the team? A player might not know he's a leader until somebody says 'you can do it' and he grows into the role.''

Mention of Terry turned talk to England's latest scandal. "Moral issues are different compared to France. Terry would never have been a debate in France – at all – even though it could have been affecting the dressing room. Private life is not a contract with society. It is a contract between you and your wife.''

So Wenger objected to coverage of Ashley Cole's indiscretions. "That's between him and his wife,'' said the Arsenal manager of his former player. "We never had a problem with him – only one difference over his contract.''

During his time at Arsenal, Cole was always a willing backer of the club's community programme. It's the Arsenal way. "They do highly impressive work,'' said Wenger. The children of Chernobyl can vouch for that.

--

Arsenal are celebrating 25 years of 'Arsenal in the Community' this week. Arsenal have delivered 5.5 million hours of service to one million participants. The department has been at the forefront of pioneering a range of sport, social inclusion, education, diversity and charitable initiatives over a quarter-century. For more details visit www.arsenal.com/community

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/arsenal/7326648/Arsene-Wengers-revival-at-Arsenal-will-take-time.html

Meet the Chief Yahoo! of the Arab World

Meet the Chief Yahoo! of the Arab World

By Rima Abdelkader, Exclusive to DinarStandard October 5, 2010

Samih Toukan’s life motto, “It’s better to try and fail than to fail to try,” has made him the globe’s largest Arab entrepreneur success story. When the world’s major Internet portal, Yahoo! signed a multi-million dollar deal with the biggest Arab online community in the world called Maktoob.com on August 25, CEO Samih Toukan was proud, not only for the company, his country of Jordan but for the entire Arab world. This is the first time an international media giant has acquired an Arab Internet portal in the Middle East. It’s a more than decade’s long journey from creating the first Arabic email to the world’s largest Arab online community for Toukan and his partner Ahmed Nassef.

Samih Toukan, Founder, Maktoob.com

Arab entrepreneurship is vital for job creation in the Arab world, a goal Arab entrepreneur Toukan has persistently pushed for in his work. Toukan hopes that this deal will send a strong message to the Arab world: to invest “in the brain power and talent of the Arab people and not in real estate projects.”

MAKTOOB KEY FACTS

Headquarters: Amman, Jordan Key Services: Maktoob.com the leading Arab portal with over 15 million unique Visitors, cashU; the electronic payment card, Souq.com; auctions and marketplace, Araby.com; the first Arabic search engine, Maktoob Research Offices: Amman, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait Employees 288 Source: Maktoob Website

Yahoo transaction: Aug 25th 2009 official announcement: Maktoob.com, including Maktoob Research, will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yahoo! once the acquisition is completed later this year. (Unofficial estimates of size of deal: $75-$100 million.) Group’s other entities - Souq.com, CashU.com, Araby.com and Tahady.com - will be part of a new company called Jabbar Internet Group that will have a focus on e-commerce and be managed by Maktoob founder Samih Toukan.

We interviewed Maktoob.com’s CEO Samih Toukan about his career and accomplishments, and what this deal means for America, the Arab world and Arabic-language online users around the world.

1. How did you get involved in the Internet sector? Is this what you envisioned yourself doing at an early age?

The first business I started along with Hussam Khoury was a management and technology consulting business. That evolved into web and Internet development and then the idea of Maktoob came along; to create the first Arabic email which then became the largest Arab online community. I really wanted to create an Arab success story and I found the Internet a great medium to be able to reach Arabs all over the world.

2. Who has been your biggest inspiration?

One special mentor that I remember and that shares this success story is Fadi Ghandour, CEO of Aramex (see our 2006 article on Mr. Fadi Ghandour). Aramex was our first client as management consultants and then Fadi became a founder of Maktoob. Aramex is a true story of success and entrepreneurship in the Arab World. It was the first Arabic and only company to be listed on NASDAQ.

3. How did you come up with the idea for Maktoob.com? What does it stand for? Tell us more about it.

Maktoob has several meanings. It means ‘letter’ or ‘written’ or ‘destiny’ if you like. The idea was to build the first Arabic email and spread the usage of Arabic language on the net. This core then became the largest Arab Online Community with over 16.5 Million users and with full fledged services ranging from news to sports to blogs to entertainment etc...

4. What does Yahoo!’s recent acquisition of Maktoob.com mean to Arabic-language speakers, and to online users around the world? What was your initial reaction when the deal went through?

When the deal went through, I was proud. Proud for Maktoob, proud for Jordan and proud for the Arab world. It’s the first time a global media company is interested to partner is such a way with an Arab homegrown technology and media company. This is a turning point for the industry and its going to mean more investment and growth for Arabic content and services in the region. It’s a message to all entrepreneurs that it’s possible to make it in the Arab world with hard work and innovation and a message to investors that the Arab world is a promising investment environment.

5. What percentage of online content on the Web is in Arabic? How many online users are there in the Middle East? in the Arab world? Which countries carry Maktoob.com? How many users does Maktoob.com serve?

We serve 16.5 million users out of a total of maybe 45 million users. It’s still the beginning for Internet in the Arab world but the future is very promising. Although Maktoob was a pioneer in developing Arabic content but that still represents only 1% of content in the world while the Arab population is 320 million people. This deal is going to be a turning point for Arabic content in the region and with no doubt will spur innovation and growth. For the users, it will only mean more and better content and services.

As for Maktoob, it serves users from all the Arab World and Arabs from around the world in addition to expats living in the Arab World or anybody interested in the region.

6. What are some of your favorite websites, and why?

The Huffington Post is certainly among the top of the list. I am also a heavy user of Facebook and Twitter as they are at the core of the social media revolution. I also use many local and regional sites.

7. When conducting business in the Middle East, what local laws do you have to comply with, and for which countries?

The Arab World is made of 22 countries. There are similarities between the laws and culture in each country, but there are also a lot of differences and sensitivities. The Maktoob team has learnt to deal with these situations and understand the local environments very well and that is one of our major differentiators. The Yahoo Maktoob deal brings the best of both worlds, global presence and reach combined with our local understanding and knowledge.

8. Can you give a specific example of where in the Middle East it has been difficult to carry Maktoob.com, and how you were able to work with that country to have Maktoob.com up and running there?

Countries of the region differ in terms of conservatism and liberalism. For example Saudi society could be considered more conservative than others and we have to be careful for example when we show banner advertising to make sure the banners don’t contain any graphics that could be considered not acceptable in Saudi. These same banners could be acceptable in Dubai for example so we have to sometime localize the site in terms of content and presentation depending on the country.

Maktoob is available in all Arab countries as Internet is already available everywhere.

8. What role will you and your colleague Ahmed Nassef play in the company now?

Ahmed will now become VP and head of Yahoo! Middle East and Africa.

9. What is the Jabbar Internet Group? What services do you provide to Arabic-language users?

Maktoob Group was made of several other companies other than maktoob.com. Yahoo chose to buy maktoob.com so we formed a new group called Jabbar Internet Group (jabbar.com) that has several interesting businesses. Souq.com is the Arab World’s Ebay if you like, cashu.com the Arab World’s Paypal, Araby.com the first Arabic search engine, ikoo.com the Arab World’s advertising network and Tahadi.com the Arab Worlds online games provider.

10. What’s next for the Jabbar Internet Group? What’s next for you?

I will be joining Jabbar Internet Group as chairman and CEO. We are very excited and think this business can create new success stories for the Arab World in ecommerce and other areas.

11. What’s your best advice for someone looking to make a career move to the Internet sector? What life advice do you live by?

Just do it. This is my advice to entrepreneurs in the region. You have an idea, go for it and risk. Don’t worry about failing because without failure you will not succeed. Its better to try and fail than to fail to try. The Arab world needs entrepreneurs because they are job creators and we have a long way to create jobs for our population and this will only work by investing in the brain power and talent of the Arab people and not in real estate projects.

12. Who is one person you would like to meet that you haven’t already met?

Difficult question. In technology, probably Steve Jobs and in politics, probably Mandela.

13. What are some of your hobbies? Do you like to play sports? If so, who’s your favorite player, and your favorite team?

I enjoy soccer and tennis. I used to play much more but the Internet has taken me away. I guess that’s one downside of the Internet.

---------------------------------------------

Author can be reached at rima.abdelkader@gmail.com and via Twitter @rimakader.

Source: http://www.dinarstandard.com/management/MaktoobCEO100509.html

Realisasi transformasi besar

Realisasi transformasi besar

Oleh ROHAMI SHAFIE
http://utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=0105&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Rencana&pg=re_02.htm

TAHUN 2009 telah melabuhkan tirai. 2010 baru bermula menggamit seluruh penduduk dunia. Tahun pertama untuk dekad kedua bagi abad ke-21. Bermula tahun ini juga, Perjanjian Perdagangan Bebas ASEAN (AFTA) dilaksanakan. Dunia semakin global menjadi sebuah 'kampung' yang mudah untuk berulang-alik.

Tidak kira sama ada manusia, barangan dan perkhidmatan, semuanya mudah untuk masuk dan keluar dari sebuah negara ke sebuah negara lain dengan sekatan paling minimum. Tahun 2010 menandakan 53 tahun Malaysia telah bebas daripada belenggu penjajahan beratus-ratus tahun lamanya oleh negara Barat.

Tahun 2010 juga bermakna tinggal 10 tahun lagi untuk negara kita bertaraf maju, rakyatnya berpendapatan tinggi, mentaliti kelas pertama dan paling penting, penduduknya bersahsiah tinggi.

Justeru, Enam Bidang Keberhasilan Utama Negara (NKRA) bersama-sama Petunjuk Utama Prestasi (KPI) telah diumumkan. Dua inisiatif ekonomi juga bakal diumumkan, selain melaksanakan Rancangan Malaysia Ke-10 (RMK-10) dan Model Ekonomi Baru (MEB).

Rakyat menanti dengan penuh minat pengumuman kedua-dua inisiatif ekonomi itu. RMK-10 inisiatif jangka pendek dan sederhana yang bakal dilaksanakan untuk tempoh lima tahun pertama akan datang. Ini disusuli pula Rancangan Malaysia Ke-11 (RMK-11).

Strategi-strategi yang cukup ampuh untuk menjadikan Malaysia sebagai negara yang maju dari semua segi diperkenalkan.

Bermula tahun ini, rakyat ingin melihat satu persatu hasil yang bakal diusahakan oleh kerajaan. Usaha kerajaan tidak akan berjaya tanpa sokongan rakyat.

Rakyat perlu memahami keseluruhan inisiatif kerajaan. Kerajaan memerlukan penglibatan rakyat 100 peratus. Tanggungjawab ini seharusnya bermula daripada pemimpin pelbagai peringkat dan mereka mestilah secara konsisten turun ke padang memberi penerangan kepada rakyat.

Setiap individu rakyat Malaysia semuanya mempunyai peranan amat penting untuk membawa Malaysia menongkah arus ke landasan yang betul menjadi sebuah negara maju.

Setiap idea dan pandangan bakal membawa negara memperoleh kejayaan lebih cemerlang. Kreativiti, inovatif, produktiviti dan bernilai tinggi bakal meletakkan semula negara di persada dunia selepas jatuh merudum akibat krisis ekonomi Asia 1997/1998.

Malaysia kini tidak dilihat lagi sebagai negara yang menggerunkan kuasa ekonomi Asia yang lain. China, India, Vietnam dan Indonesia sedang dan telah mengambil tempat.

Di sebalik ini, ada hikmahnya. Cabaran mendatang bukan setakat 'ribut taufan' yang berkemungkinan melanda negara, bahkan tidak mustahil 'tsunami' membadai negara.

Jadi, sewajarnya kita memberi keyakinan kepada rakyat Malaysia untuk sentiasa bersiap siaga menempuh segala cabaran. Malaysia telah menghadapi pelbagai cabaran. Semuanya telah diharungi dengan baik.

Pengalaman yang diperoleh selama ini memberi pengajaran paling berguna untuk Malaysia dan rakyatnya menempuh segala liku-liku yang mendatang. Kerajaan dan rakyat perlu bangkit semula dengan lebih bertenaga untuk memakmurkan negara selepas dunia dilanda pelbagai krisis.

Krisis ekonomi mengajar negara untuk memperkukuhkan sistem kewangan dan perbankan negara.

Kedua-dua sistem ini sewajarnya menjadi 'penampan' sebarang krisis ekonomi, bukannya penyebab berlakunya krisis. Krisis ekonomi juga mengajar rakyat agar lebih memahami tentang instrumen kewangan. Berhati-hatilah mengenai sebarang penyelewengan kewangan. Penyelewengan wajar dibenci. Ketamakan wajib dijauhi.

Mana-mana negara sekalipun tidak akan maju serba-serbi jika ada segelintir rakyatnya yang berkuasa melakukan penyelewengan dan rasuah. Enron, Parmalat, WordCom, Citibank, American International Group (AIG) adalah sebahagian kecil contoh ketamakan manusia di negara yang ekonominya maju tetapi rakyatnya bersahsiah rendah.

Apalah gunanya negara maju tetapi rakyatnya bersahsiah rendah? Janganlah pula berinovasi mencipta sesuatu yang menyeleweng.

Pemenang hadiah Nobel Ekonomi, Joseph E. Stiglitz pernah menyatakan inovasi sepatutnya untuk menyempurnakan lagi pasaran ekonomi agar lebih cekap dan stabil, bukannya disalahguna untuk menyusahkan penduduk dunia sekali gus merosakkan bumi ini. Akibatnya, hanya kerana segelintir manusia yang tamak melakukan penyelewengan, seluruh dunia rosak teruk. Inilah penangan manusia yang tamak yang melakukan penyelewengan.

Jadi, integriti dan sahsiah tinggi wajib dipupuk di kalangan anak-anak Malaysia. Kita tidak mahu apa yang terjadi di negara barat terjadi di sini. Pada ketika itu, menyesal pun tiada gunanya. Masalah sosial perlu ditangani segera secara berhemah.

Anak-anak Malaysia mestilah benar-benar berprestasi tinggi dari semua sudut. Tidak lesu tetapi sentiasa segar untuk berbakti kepada negara. Bertanggungjawab dan amanah. Berani ke hadapan melontar idea di luar kotak. Berani berkomunikasi. Pandai berpidato. Cerdik bukan sahaja dalam peperiksaan tetapi mampu membahaskan ilmu yang diajar dengan penuh kritis dan berwibawa.

Hebat dalam kokurikulum dan kurikulum tetapi tetap merendah diri. Inilah cabaran yang perlu kita hadapi. Sebagai permulaan, menstruktur semula markah kokurikulum di Institusi Pengajian Tinggi (IPT) kepada 30 peratus daripada hanya 10 peratus akan membantu ke arah menjadikan para penuntut di universiti lebih berketerampilan tinggi.

Budaya keusahawanan juga wajar dibentuk di universiti. Janganlah mengukur kejayaan mereka berdasarkan paling banyak A semata-mata. Pentaksiran kecemerlangan mestilah lebih menyeluruh.

Begitu juga, pengumuman sebanyak 20 buah sekolah berprestasi tinggi pada bulan ini bakal merealisasikan cita-cita tersebut. Namun, janganlah pula meminggirkan sekolah-sekolah lain, tidak kira sekolah kluster, bestari mahupun yang tidak mempunyai 'jenama'.

Kesemua anak-anak Malaysia tidak kira di bandar mahupun di luar bandar mempunyai keistimewaan tersendiri untuk memacu negara ke hadapan. Di sini, dapatlah kita lihat bahawa pendidikan dan ekonomi adalah 'senjata ampuh' bagi merealisasikan agenda negara ke arah negara maju.

Kedua-duanya bakal membentuk teras utama negara untuk memperoleh daya saing tinggi negara yang berorientasikan perpaduan 1Malaysia! Tahun 2010, permulaan untuk merealisasikan segala transformasi besar negara.

Penulis ialah pensyarah kanan

Perakaunan dan Kewangan

Kolej Perniagaan (COB)

Universiti Utara Malaysia

Back Home - a service with CARE

Wanted list

Ng Ping Ho of BackHome shares some tips on what backpackers look for in a hostel:

1. Comfort

Backpackers walk a lot in the sun or rain, and in congested, smoggy, noisy cities. At the end of their day, they just want to return to somewhere comfortable and cosy, where they can rest their weary bodies.

2. Cleanliness

Nothing puts off a guest more than bed bugs, cockroaches and dirt! You don’t have to be a five-star hotel to be spotless.

3. Kindness

You can be clean and comfy but what makes a place stands out is its warmth, personalised service and friendliness.

“I’ve met people who can afford hotels but prefer to stay in a backpacker establishment for these reasons and to talk to locals and mingle with fellow travellers,” says Ng.

4. Experience/adventure

Convenience is key for most backpackers.

But what really sells a place is also the experience — say, a hostel at the edge of a cliff or in a jungle.

People travel to look for adventure, so if you provide it, they’ll come, Ng adds.

5. Sincerity

Deliver what you promised. Backpackers are used to being ripped off. So they’re always on their guard.

They appreciate honesty.

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/11/28/lifetravel/5194511&sec=lifetravel

Also read: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/11/28/lifetravel/5173573&sec=lifetravel

Architectural award: http://www.theedgeproperty.com/multimedia/photo/1204-impressive-regeneration-of-back-home.html

http://www.backhome.com.my

Talents

The only way talents can flourish is to let them believe in themselves.