An ethical question

Imagine that your company (an MNC) is looking forward to enter a foreign country. You are the manager responsible for the entry and dealing with foreign Government officials.

After a few months of negotiations, the Government officials of the country which has recently opened up a particular sector, have agreed to let you in and also give you preferential treatment. Getting this approval is crucial as it would mean that your company would have the first mover advantage. None of your competitors have entered the market yet.

The chief Government official responsible for the decision calls you suddenly and when you get to his office, he suddenly makes it clear that he would require a cut - a gift for "services rendered". He also hints that even though your company had the approval "almost in your hands, there was still a chance that you might lose it if you delayed....".

He makes it clear that if you don't agree to provide a cut, they were going to choose another competitor even though they were clearly no where near as as good as your company. He also mentioned that he was willing to negotiate.

Your company does not have a policy with regards to "gift giving" or "kickbacks" and you know that if you refuse, there were several other companies who would go ahead and give money just to get into the newly opened lucrative market.

You don't want to lose out on this opportunity but at the same time, you are not comfortable with the idea of engaging in corruption.

Put yourself in the shoes of this manager.

What would you do?

Manipur, the sports powerhouse of India

Manipur, a small strife torn state in the north-eastern corner of India has emerged as the sports powerhouse of the country. At the recently concluded 34th National Games held in
held from 12 February 2011 to 26 February 2011 at Ranchi in the state of Jharkhand, they came second with a total of 108 medal including 46 gold, 33 silver and 29 bronge medals behind Services (Services Sports Control Board - SSCB), which was a combined team of the Indian armed forces. Manipur took the best state award.

What makes it more amazing is the fact that "35 Manipuris won medals for the Services Board, 17 of them won medals for Jharkhand, 11 for Delhi, six for Kerala, 34 for Madhya Pradesh, two for Uttar Pradesh, one for Karnataka, two for Andhra Pradesh, 21 for Assam, two for Orissa and one for Bihar."

Manipuris have been making a mark internationally as well and during the Common Wealth Games, 2010 at Delhi, Manipur players have won 3 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze Medals. Among those who have made their mark internationally is MC Mary Kom,a mother of two who is five times World Boxing Champion and aiming for a Olympic Gold in 2012. She follows in the footsteps of Dingko Singh, another boxer who won the gold medal at 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.

This is pretty amazing for a state which makes up only 0.1% of India's population (2,388,634) and has seen a violent separatist insurgency since 1964. According to a journalist friend of mine, the state has had more people die due to the violence as compared to Kashmir, another troubled state but has been out of the international media spotlight. The state has no particular industry of note and government jobs are in high demand. Successful sports people are often given huge cash prizes and jobs in the public sector, especially in the armed forces and thus this is a huge incentive to take up sports as a career.

I wonder whether investing in sports might be a better strategy for the Indian Government to defeat the insurgency rather then sending more troops into the state.

Coca Cola's secret formula

One of the World's best kept trade secrets is is finally out - Coke's secret formula.



The secret was discovered by producers of the radio program This American Life in a photograph used to illustrate an article on the history of Coca-Cola in an old copy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The photo is a hand-written copy of the original recipe by John Pemberton, the inventor (is that the right term) of Coca Cola.

You can now make Coke in your own kitchen. The 7X flavour is the secret ingredient which gives Coca Cola it's unique taste and kick.

Here are the ingredients:

A) The Syrup:

Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
Citric acid: 3 oz
Caffeine: 1 oz
Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)
Water: 2.5 gal
Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 oz
Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color

B) The 7X flavor (2 oz of flavor to 5 gallons syrup):

Alcohol: 8 oz
Orange oil: 20 drops
Lemon oil: 30 drops
Nutmeg oil: 10 drops
Coriander: 5 drops
Neroli: 10 drops
Cinnamon: 10 drops

Read the article about Coke's original recipe on the This American Life site.

New proposed UK immigration changes

The UK Government is proposing a number of changes in the immigration rules which will have a huge impact on all non-EU foreign students.

Under the main changes which are likely to impact Malaysian and other non-EU foreign students and their dependent include the following:

1. Students will only be allowed to work on campus during the week in term time.

2. Dependants of students will not be allowed to work in the UK unless they get a Tier 2 visa from the employer. Means no more cleaning jobs.

3. Closing down the Post Study Work (PSW) Scheme. means we have to go back as soon as we graduate.

4. Remove right of dependants to come to UK unless the student is on a course of 12 months or more. This may not be relevant to the PhD students, but it will definitely have an impact on those students with family taking a Masters course.

The Government is no carrying out a consultation with various Universities.

Saving time by Shopping Online

With the rise of the internet is it unsurprising that retailers have jumped on the opportunity to offer goods online whenever they can. Reaching a far wider group of people, retailers can use clever online campaigns to advertise their goods as much as possible. While retailers benefit, shopping online also offers you and I, the consumers on the street a huge range of benefits as well.

One of the best reasons to shop online is the ability to save time. Modern lives have become very busy, with work and leisure activities quickly taking over all the hours of the day. While some lucky guys may love nothing more than to hit the high street and shop, others simply don’t have the time as they are too busy with their families or with work. This is where online shopping is becoming increasingly important as it saves valuable time which can be put to better use elsewhere.

A major benefit is that no travel time is needed if you want to shop online. While an entire morning may need to be set aside for grocery shopping, browsing the internet before buying goods can be done in an instant. It can be done within the comfort of your own home, meaning that it can be done at any time of day whenever you get a spare moment. Search options also significantly reduce shopping time. Whereas in a shop you have to browse through items, in an online store you can instantly look for what you need and want. Prices are often cheaper too, with online retailers not having to pay large overhead expenses for brick-and-mortar shops and many retailers such as M and M, direct discount vouchers can be found. And with search options often offering categories, pricing ranges, sizes, or quantities, life can be made much quicker and easier.

Over the past few years food shopping online has become particularly popular, with a range of both high street and online retailers offering delivery services. This is a brilliant way of saving time as not only can you get delivery options, but many websites provide online baskets which will remember the foods bought previously. A weekly shop can then be done by simply reordering a standard basket, taking only a few minutes of your valuable time.

Online clothes’ shopping can also save a huge amount of time, and while you may believe that the returns procedure is complicated, many stores have taken steps to make it as easy as possible. Valuable time can be saved by utilising search facilities available on websites, allowing you to search for garments by size, colour, prices, or even brand. A number of websites also offer style guides, a great benefit if you find a top you like but are not sure of a suitable trousers for example. Meanwhile, by shopping at online outlets such as M and M, direct discount codes can be found and the returns process is often free and as easy as simply filling out a small coded sheet and popping items into the post. And for anyone who is pushed for time and would rather spend valuable moments enjoying their family and hobbies, online shopping is a fantastic time saving opportunity.

Phoenix Jones - The Guardian of Seattle

Clearly inspired by Kick Ass the movie, there's a masked vigilante called Phoenix Jones patrolling the streets of Seattle, Washington.

He even wear black and gold tights and a mask.

I seriously hope he doesn't get hurt.

Why do Malaysians like to study in the UK?

In 2007 / 2008, there were 12,430 Malaysian students in the UK with 35% enrolled in postgraduate programmes, mainly PhDs (4,375 students) (source: British Council). Most of them are funded by the Malaysian Government. Considering that the average annual fees for a non-EU student in the UK is approximately, £11,00, not counting the cost of living, this is a huge investment on the part of the Malaysian Government.

I was curious as to what is it that makes UK universities so popular with Malaysian students as compared to the US or other countries.

Of course the reason may be that some of the World's best Universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Warwick are located here. However, this does not explain the high number of Malaysian students in other Universities which are not that high ranked as well. A lot of people in Malaysia still consider British education to be the best in the World even though a number of high ranking Universities are in other countries as well. 

It may have something to do with the fact that English is the language spoken here so unlike France, Spain or Germany, you don't have to learn a new language as English is compulsory in Malaysian schools.

However, that's not the only reason and I found out several other facts which contribute to the UK as a popular destination for education., some of which are quite surprising.

An important factor is that foreign students are allowed to work in the UK, limited hours during term time and full time during holidays. Student dependants are allowed to work full time, an important factor considering that the scholarships provided by the Malaysian Government are not really enough to live comfortably. On the other hand, as fas as I know, students are not allowed to work outside the campus and dependent are not allowed at all in the US. Rules in Australia are quite similar to the UK.

There are specific reasons as well. A PhD in the US apparently takes at an average of about 4-5 years to complete whereas in the UK, it's about 3.5 years. If you are in the Business and Managements stream, you also need to get really high GMAT scores in order to get in. This is not true for PhD in business and management studies here in most UK universities.

Some other factors listed by friends:

1. Easier to get Halal food.
2. Cheaper to fly to the UK than to the US.
3. Great shopping specially on boxing day.
4. I also discovered that another reason is the fact that every Malaysian student is entitled to an approved permit (AP) to import a car back into Malaysia with nominal tax rates.Normally foreign built cars are subject to a tax as high as 300%. The UK also drives on the correct side of the road (the left side and cars are right hand drive) as compared to several other countries.

So it is not only the reputation of British universities or because it is cheaper (they are not) but a combination of several factors. I am wondering whether the recent proposal to reduce the number of permitted working hours and that student dependants won't be allowed to work, would have an impact on the numbers coming here to study.

If you are a Malaysian student here in the UK, are there any more reasons you selected the UK?