Articles

A Progression Plan for Heirs Heiresses and Professional Manager

The word Succession is a rather intimidating one because it usually suggests taking over the functions of a person whose shoes appear too big to fill. This is especially true when the person to be succeeded is the super successful entrepreneur who casts a giant shadow over both his family and his enterprise. It is also true when succeeding very successful top managers who are “too valuable to lose.” In fact, the better the performance of the top manager is, the more the word succession comes to mind because everybody is afraid that the potential successors may not be able to duplicate the feats of the top manager. read more..

All That Glitters is Gold

Gold is a precious economic commodity.  Currencies have been issued on the basis of gold bullions stored in national vaults.  While this is no longer true for most countries, gold supply and prices still exert considerable influence on certain industries, particularly the jewelry industry.  In the 1970's to 1980's, The Philippines used to be the one of the top ten producers of gold in the world.  In 2000, the country supplied 36.5 tons of gold and was ranked fourteenth in the world.  Subsequently, the Philippines dropped further to sixteenth.  In 2001, the top gold producing countries in the world were South Africa (394 tons), United States (335 tons), Australia.. read more..

Collaborating with Competitors

Joe Magsaysay, food cart empresario of Potato Corner fame, gave a tip to a class of would-be entrepreneurs.  "When inside a mall, we have learned that it is better to huddle the food carts together in a cluster than scatter them far apart.”  Customers want choices and they are attracted by fellow customers milling around various carts.  The more on-lookers and curious crowds there are, the more likely they can be converted to buyers.  People hate lonely places and empty spaces.  They like to huddle, hustle and bustle together.  Customers are social animals.  They follow the herd’s leaders.   read more..

Government Bashing

Government bashing is a favorite past-time of most Manilenos.  Nothing can ever be done right by anybody in public office.  Mistakes and indiscretions make for hilarious front page copies.  And yet government hardly accounts for much of our country’s resources.  If one considers the small part that government plays in the overall gross national product, and if one adds to the fact that GNP is very much understated because of our huge informal sector, then we could safely conclude that government is not primarily responsible for many of our economic ills.  It’s too little to matter. read more..

Of MBAs and Entrepreneurship (E)

One question frequently crops up whenever I talk to entrepreneurs.  Will an MBA program help them become better entrepreneurs?  Curiously, MBA students are beginning to ask more and more whether entrepreneurship is a better career alternative vis-à-vis a big fat corporate job.  To the entrepreneurs, I respond that the MBA will give them the discipline of analytical, critical, systematic, and integrative thinking, which should greatly complement their highly instinctive, opportunistic, and innovative thinking modes.  To the MBA student, my response is a little bit more guarded since entrepreneurship demands not just thinking skills but a hell of a lot of doing and people s.. read more..

PONTIAN COCONUT OIL PROJECT

Project Description  In 1977, Perusahaan Minyak Kelapan Pontian (PMKP)applied for a $50,000 loan from Mara to Finance a $91,500 coconut oil manufacturing plant in Benut Pontian. The project hoped to convert 20 Piculs of copra per day (about 6000 piculs per annum) to 13,360 tin cans of coconut oil (at 25 katis per can) and 3508 gunny sacks of waste product (at 65 katis per sack) annually. read more..

Pontian Coconut Oil Project

In 1977, Perusahaan Minyak Kelapan Pontian (PMKP) applied for a $50,000 loan from MARA to finance a $91,500 coconut oil manufacturing plant in Benut Pontian. The project hoped to convert 20 piculs of copra per day to 13,680 tin cans of coconut oil and 3508 gunny sacks of waste product annually. read more..

The AIM Renaissance

The Renaissance period witnessed the rebirth of Italy during the fourteenth and fifteenth century A.D..  It was the first era in human history, which recognized itself as a distinct age.  The Renaissance era rose from the ashes of the "Dark Ages" which began with the sacking of Rome by barbarians ten centuries earlier.  These "dark" or "middle" ages were considered quite backward and crude by the Renaissance period.  The dark ages focused too much on theological studies and other impractical pursuits which, the Renaissance scholars thought, were too pre-occupied with man's sinfulness and search for his lost soul.  Instead, the Renaissance writers celebrated man as a .. read more..