Cost-cutting can lead to reinvention

Cost-cutting can lead to reinvention
ON THE BEATBy WONG CHUN WAI
Out of economic gloom could arise a personal boom if one is innovative and enterprising

WE are just a week away from December and usually by now, I would have received a few diaries and calendars. But not this year.I have only one diary and my colleagues tell me I am lucky because they don’t even have one. We figured companies are cutting back on expenses and giveaways are almost certain to top their list of cost-cutting measures.Traditionally printed Christmas and New Year greeting cards are expected to be replaced by e-cards this season as well.It takes a little getting used to for most, particularly if there are no bonuses, and workers are told that they are lucky to keep their jobs as the global economic crisis takes its toll. In Malaysia, most of us have not been seriously bitten by the credit crunch as its impact would be clearer only by the middle of next year.But in Penang, US-owned factories have already cut down production and workers have been told to go off during the holiday season.Previously, this would have been the busiest time of the year as workers rush to meet the deadline. And now, there could be retrenchments eventually.

The buzzword today is cost cutting. From a ban on staff recruitment to travelling on budget airlines for company trips to closing down unprofitable branches, employers are taking tough measures to keep their expenses down.It’s simple – when the patient is bleeding, you have to stop it before it worsens. Then, the treatment begins.For obvious reasons, salaried workers would not like cost cutting measures.

Nobody likes changes, particularly if it means changes to their lifestyles and working habit. Sometimes, it could even mean sacrificing basic items for the family, including college education for the children because of a salary cut.But cost cutting can also lead to reinvention and restructuring. It need not be disruptive but innovative as it means cutting away the fat and making the company leaner. The same is applicable to the public sector, which has more reasons to apply these austerity measures as they use taxpayers’ money.

There is a Chinese saying that in times of crisis there are also opportunities. One of the most uplifting comments I have read of late, in the midst of gloom and doom stories dominating the media, must be from Forbes magazine editor-in-chief Steve Forbes.He believes that the world is still flush with cash, unlike the generally-held belief that the world has run out of liquidity. “It’s frozen because of fear, but the cash is there. Productivity gains are burgeoning,” he wrote in his latest commentary “How Capitalism Will Save Us” in the magazine’s latest edition. He even predicts that the global boom “will resume next year, slowly at first and then with increasing momentum” but warns that it would depend on the “political aftermath.” That means political leaders need to pursue policies that promote growth, including cutting tax rates, as “taxes don’t just raise revenue, they are also a price and a burden” and that the “tax you pay for income is the tax you pay for working.”Certainly a lot of middle class, salaried Malaysians would share their frustrations over the tax regime we have.But as in previous financial crises, when jobs are hard to come by, or young people do not find it attractive working with reduced wages, many have become successful entrepreneurs.

In the same issue, Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard pointed out that in the 1970s, when the economic outlook was eerily similar as stocks took a beating, names like FedEx, Microsoft, Genentech, Apple, Oracle and Southwest Airlines were born. It was high income tax and a lousy stock market, he wrote, that drove bright young people into unconventional careers.Recently, I met a group of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia graduates of 1984. It was a bad time to leave university then as jobs were scarce and many jobless graduates were paid allowances to just sit in government departments.

The circumstances drove many to become businessmen and to create jobs. We met for the first time in 25 years and I was pleased to learn many were running their own companies, and doing better than those who secured jobs.Over-reliance on the government by graduates, especially those who are not marketable because they lack language and social skills, would complicate matters in a financial crisis. Start-ups with lower pay could in the end be more financially rewarding. Risk-taking and innovation are what the nation needs.In times of difficulties, there can still be a silver lining as new ideas would emerge to ensure survival.

:) good article about " missing someone "

Here i post the tips how to overcome " ZINA HATI ".. i got this from the other blogger website. Hopefully we can sharing and implemet it.. Ameen ya Robb...

Selagi dinamakan manusia, kita mempunyai perasaan suka mengasihi dan dikasihi. Memang adat kehidupan bahawa kasih cinta didahului dengan berasa rindu, namun jangan pula rindu berlebihan. Kerinduan kepada kekasih, sering kali membekaskan duka, penyakit menyebabkan kelemahan hati. Kita sebenarnya berperang dengan perasaan.

Namun, seorang Muslim akan terasa nikmat jika dapat menjauhi keluhan, kesedihan dan kerinduan ini.Ibnu Qayyim memberikan terapi mujarab mengenai masalah rindu. Sebelum itu beliau memberikan sebab mengapa rasa rindu berlebihan terjadi antaranya: Hati tidak terisi oleh rasa cinta, syukur, zikir dan ibadah kepada Allah sebaliknya membiarkan mata meliar. Pandangan dan renungan mata adalah jalan membawa kepada kesedihan dan keresahan.

Rasulullah SAW bersabda yang bermaksud: “Pandangan mata itu satu daripada sekian banyak anak panah iblis.” Setiap penyakit ada ubatnya. Ubat yang terbaik adalah meneguk daripada pengajaran al-Quran seperti firman Allah yang bermaksud: “Demikianlah supaya kami memalingkan daripadanya kemungkaran dan kekejian. Sesungguhnya Yusuf itu termasuk hamba kami yang terpilih.” - (Surah Yusuf, ayat 24)

Ikhlas kepada Allah.
Ikhlas adalah ubat penyakit rindu. Ikhlas kepada Allah bermakna selalu berusaha berada di pintu ibadah dan memohon kesembuhan daripada Allah. Jika kita ikhlas kepada Allah, Allah akan menolong kita daripada penyakit kerinduan melalui cara tidak pernah terdetik di hati. Syeikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyah mengatakan: “Sungguh jika hati telah berasakan manisnya ibadah kepada Allah dan ikhlas kepada-Nya, nescaya ia tidak akan menjumpai hal lain yang lebih manis, indah, nikmat dan baik daripada Allah. Manusia tidak akan meninggalkan sesuatu dicintainya, melainkan selepas memperoleh kekasih lain yang lebih dicintainya.

Doa mengundang sikap, rasa fakir dan rendah diri di hadapan Allah. Oleh itu doa adalah salah satu bentuk ibadah yang agung. Ketika kita berada dalam kesempitan, kita bersungguh-sungguh dalam berdoa, berasakan Allah amat dekat mendengarkan rayuan.

Mengurus mata dan pandangan.
Pandangan yang berulang-ulang adalah suis penting menyalakan api rindu. Orang yang memandang dengan sepintas lalu jarang berasakan hati terusik dan jatuh. Ibnul Qayyim menyatakan: “Orang berakal tidak mudah tergelincir jatuh hati dan rindu, dia tidak tertimpa pelbagai kerosakan. Barang siapa yang terjun ke dalamnya maka ia termasuk orang yang menzalimi diri sendiri, tertipu dan akhirnya binasa. Jika dia tidak melakukan pandangan berkali-kali terhadap orang yang dikagumi dan usahanya itu meragut benang asmara, pastilah asmara tidak akan kukuh mencengkam jiwanya.”

Bernikah dan membina rumah tangga adalah langkah paling baik. Inilah ubat rindu paling baik. Tidak semestinya bernikah dengan orang yang kita kagumi. Meskipun pernikahan itu dilangsungkan tidak dengan orang dicintai dan diidamkan.

what supposed we do..

lately im just felt that my soul it so empty.. in Malay we call it jiwa kosong..Masya Allah..

Wahai Tuhan kami! Jadikanlah kami berdua orang yang berserah diri kepada-Mu, dan jadikanlah keturunan kami umat yang berserah diri kepada-Mu dan tunjukkanlah kepada kami cara-cara ibadat kami, dan terimalah taubat kami; sesungguhnya Engkaulah Maha Penerima Taubat, lagi Maha Mengasihani; 1Wahai Tuhanku! Jadikanlah daku orang yang mendirikan sembahyang, dan zuriat keturunanku. Wahai Tuhan kami, perkenankanlah doaku. 2.Wahai Tuhan kami! Berilah ampun bagiku dan bagi kedua ibu bapaku serta bagi orang yang beriman, pada masa berlakunya hitungan amal pembalasan.3Wahai Tuhan kami! Janganlah Engkau mengirakan kami salah jika kami lupa atau kami tersalah. Wahai Tuhan kami! Janganlah Engkau bebankan kepada kami bebanan yang berat sebagaimana yang telah engkau bebankan kepada orang yang terdahulu daripada kami. Wahai Tuhan kami! Janganlah Engkau pikulkan kepada kami apa yang kami tak terdaya memikulnya. Dan maafkanlah kami, dan ampunkanlah kami, dan berilah rahmat kepada kami. Engkaulah Penolong kami; maka tolonglah kami untuk mencapai kemenangan terhadap kaum yang kafir. 4 Amiin.

1. Al Baqarah ayat 128

2. Ibrahim ayat 40

3. Ibrahim ayat 41

4. Al Baqarah ayat 286

6 ways to maximize your marketing in a down Economy

This article impressed me, i think we can share it.. enjoy your reading.. happy reading.


6 Ways to Maximize Your Marketing in a Down Economy

Article by: Dan Wilson, Nov 11, 2008
Source from: www.wilsonweb.com

Everyone's worried about the economy. Consumers are tightening their belts. Companies are delaying expenditures. How about your marketing strategy.

Has the economy got you paralyzed? Don't know how to spend marketing dollars. Here are 6 tips that can pay off big for you.

1. Focus on Existing Customers
Everyone knows that repeat sales to existing customers cost far less than creating new sales from scratch. While it's still important to keep building your customer base, it's absolutely critical to hang on to the customers you already have. Show your customers you appreciate their business by offering things like loyalty rewards, discounts for add-on services, and access to your best offers. Don't just make your greatest deals available to new customers only -- your existing customers will feel excluded and just might jump at your competitor's "new customer" offer.

2. Start an E-mail Newsletter
E-mail newsletters are a cost-effective way of keeping your organization at the top of your customer's mind. One mail-order company we worked with started sending quarterly email newsletters in addition to their yearly printed catalogs and improved their year-round sales by over 40%. While it takes time and care to produce content that is relevant and useful to your audience, the investment can pay handsomely. And always be sure to include a call to action so potential customers will contact you while you're still fresh in their minds.

3. Outsource Judiciously
Use outside experts instead of hiring new staff. In a shaky economy, it's hard to assume the risk of adding new full-time employees. Hiring seasoned professionals on a contract basis to handle specialty marketing work -- like web design, message development, and graphic design -- allows you to limit spending to your immediate needs, allows your existing marketing staff (or you) be more efficient, and enables you to achieve top-notch results without creating an ongoing expense.

4. Hang On to a Modest Ad Budget
Though it may seem counter-instinctive, companies that advertise during a down economy fare better than those that don't. Why? Because many companies shave marketing budgets when times are tough. With fewer competitors advertising, your message stands a better chance of reaching the eyes and ears of your customers. And with less demand, you can often take advantage of favorable pricing when buying ad space. The customers you gain will generally stay with you as times improve, giving you a long-term market-share boost.

5. Re-Examine your Value Proposition
Customers tend to make buying decisions based on a combination of three factors: speed, quality, and price. In a down economy, consumers and businesses alike are in the process of re-evaluating every line item in their budgets and are focused on price more than ever. Make sure you look at your value proposition through your customers' eyes. Then be sure your marketing message highlights the monetary value you bring to those customers.

6. Send Virtual Holiday Greetings
One of our clients, a large law firm, has been doing this for years, but we thought this idea was too good not to share. In lieu of printed cards, they send friends and clients an animated holiday greeting, and donate the resulting savings to Unicef. By doing this, they are able to share their holiday message, help those in need, and enjoy a tax write-off come April. Another benefit of online greetings is the low incremental cost -- while tightened budgets might only allow you to print and mail just a few cards, sending 1,500 online greetings costs virtually the same as sending 300.

While competitors retreat, a down economy is a great time to move your organization forward -- carefully. Which of these tips can you implement today?

salam...

It been a long time i havent drop by here my blog.. that ive made it for revolution myself.. ive been leaving this blog for a long time.. and there are so much memories to remember here.. and today the choices is mine.. never think I AM fail.. and here i deleted anything that related with my pass heart expression but changes this blog to more useful blog such like motivation article which is can inspired people.. Insya Allah.. ive been collected this article and anything that related with current issues, economics, motivation quote , then anything useful information to sharing. but the important thing is to improve my writing in english. I found that my english very terrible and there are the way how to improve myself.. you may not improving if you dont push yourself and receive weakness particle suffixed to the emphatic word in sentence yourself.