Graduates & Employment

571 human resource practitioners who took part in the survey - 64 % felt that the top reason why fresh graduates were rejected after the interview sessions was because the candidates were asking for unrealistic salary or benefits.

It said the second and third reasons for rejecting fresh graduates were the “bad character, attitude and personality of the jobseekers” (60 per cent), followed by “poor command of English language” (56 per cent). Another 38 per cent said that they tended to be too choosy about the job or the company they wish to work for.

The survey results also indicated that 86 per cent of employers do not discriminate against graduates from a specific type of university and that they have no qualms hiring fresh graduates from a local public university, a local private university or a foreign university.

On the question of the quality of our fresh graduates today, 66 per cent of respondents rated them as ‘average’ and 23 per cent rated them as ‘poor’.

According to government statistics, 71,000 people with diplomas or degrees remain on the job hunt, almost 20 per cent of the total number of unemployed which is 388,000.

Dog More Loyal Than Human Friend

Mr Lao Pan was unmarried and had no known relatives. But the 68-year-old loner, who lived modestly in Panjiatun village near Qingdao city in China's Shandong province, had a loyal friend in his dog.

Early this month, Mr Lao died. And in a touching scene of loyalty, the dog has refused to leave its master's grave, BBC News reported. The report said that the pooch even went without food for seven days, lying next to the grave as if waiting for Mr Lao to return.

The villagers have been desperately trying to lure the animal away from the grave, but have been met with stubborn resistance so far. Sky News reported that since noticing the pooch, villagers have been bringing food and water to the gravesite, and are even planning to build a kennel there.

A concerned local tried to take the animal home with him, but to no avail. "I saw the dog when I was working in the field, and I called him, and wanted to take him back home because I also have a dog," the man told the BBC.

"I gave him a steamed bun when it came to my home. The dog took the bun and ran back. "I tried to catch it, but it ran even faster back to the tomb and stayed there."

Miracle Tea

Gynostemma Pentaphyllum, also known as Jiaogulan is an herbaceous vine commonly found in China, southern Korea, Japan and other parts of Asia. This therapeutic vine belongs to the cucumber or gourd family, scientifically called as the Cucurbitaceae family.

Aside from its original name, it is sometimes referred to as “Southern Ginseng” because of its likeness to the chemical composition and function of ginseng. Some call it as Xiancao, which means “immortality herb”, because of its ability to grow wild and its healthy benefits.


Scientific studies found out that Gynostemma Pentaphyllum has disease-prevention and therapeutic features. It contains numerous saponins (soapy chemical compounds), trace materials, amino acids, vitamins and proteins. Well-known as an herbal medicine, it is famous for its anti-oxidant and adaptogenic effects. Herbs with anti-oxidants help prevent aging. The adaptogenic characteristic of Gynostemma Pentaphyllum makes it superior over ginseng . Gynostemma as an adaptogen increases the body’s resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety, and fatigue. What makes Gynostemma an amazing herb is its anti-aging and rejuvenating effect.

Gynostemma Pentaphyllum turns out to contain more saponins than ginseng, which makes it more powerful in regulating bodily systems such as blood pressure, the reproductive system, the digestive system, the immune system, and more.

Scientific studies also show that Gynostemma has the ability to decrease cholesterol by improving the liver’s performance in sending sugar and carbohydrates for conversion to energy instead of being stored as fat. It lowers the body’s bad cholesterol while raising the concentration of good cholesterol. Furthermore, it helps improve fat metabolism by reducing the blood fat level and the fat sediments in the blood vessels.

Gynostemma Pentaphyllum does not only work against high-cholesterol and obesity. It can also facilitate absorption of nutrients and gaining of weight through improving and strengthening our digestion. Such is the adaptogenic power of Gynostemma Pentaphyllum.

Aside from working for our body, Gynostemma also has the power to work for our brain functions. It has been proven to have biphasic effect, which boosts up or calm the system depending on our body’s need, helping us to cope with stress. It also aids in regulating the hormonal functions in both men and women.

Gynostemma Pentaphyllum is truly an amazing herb. It does not only strengthen and rejuvenate or body, it helps our brain functions too. More than just preventing diseases and increasing our body’s resistance, it also improves our physical and mental performance. It will serve well for anyone who desires to improve their athletic performance, remain young, and stay fit.

Note: You can buy at any Tea shop in KL RM12.00 one big bag

Business Partners

Business partnerships are one of the most unique and trying relationships we will ever enter. Some work, but most fail. Here are four warning signs that our relationship with our business partner(s) may be headed for failure. Please note that this article assumes that business partnerships are in the Sendirian Berhad.

No Operating Agreement - many states do not require a Sdn Bhd to have an operating agreement, and, therefore, many business owners and entrepreneurs do not understand the importance of this legal document. The operating agreement is the agreement between all of the owners, or members, on how the business will run, who will be in charge, and so much more.

It started with three friends getting excited about an idea. As time passed the expectations, time commitments, investment, and basically everything else related to these "equal" partners fell completely out of balance. Arguments replaced friendship and greed supplanted a desire to share everything equally.

Partner Pride -This is something that usually shows up when a partnership begins to have struggles and accelerates its demise. Partner's pride allowed him to minimize his main partner and falsely establish himself as something he was not.

Compensation and Equity are Confused -Let me be as straight-forward as I can with this topic. Too often I see entrepreneurs, founders, and business owners that confuse equity and pay/compensation. These two items must be separated in order to set your partnership up for success. Please note that the legal and tax structure of the business may determine the best ways to receive both wages and profits, but that should not dictate the separation, at least mentally and emotionally, of the two.

Beginning without the end in mind -perhaps all of these points lead to this one - the need to contemplate every way the partnership will need to end or be dissolved. In addition, beginning with the end in mind implies that a partnership will have planned exits as well. Selling a business can be very rewarding, and a partnership needs to look down the road to how each of the partners will exit.

Change Or Die

The retail industry will become extinct if there is no change in its management and mindset of its operators, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

He said the management system of retail business should be improved to get local youths to venture into the industry.

The old system failed to attract local youths, resulting in outsiders, including hypermarkets, competing to conquer the retail business, especially in the small towns and the rural areas, he added.

So far, he said, the government had been able to prevent them from monopolising the industry.

"There will come a time when we have to allow them in the name of trade liberalisation to go into convenient store business or to open small clothing stores," he told reporters.

He said the participation of foreign-owned hypermarkets in the retail industry could lead to them monopolising the retail business in the small towns and villages.

"If we are not ready to change, in terms of retail business and financial management, attitude and mindsets, I'm worried that we might not be able to compete with them and, in the end, we close our shops and everything belongs to them," he added.

Who Is Sean Quinn

Ireland’s former richest man, Sean Quinn, was declared bankrupt today after having bet the family fortune on the shares of Ireland’s most notoriously profligate bank just before it collapsed.

Quinn, 64, developed a quarrying operation in the northern county of Fermanagh in 1973 into a global organisation with insurance and property interests.

He amassed a fortune of €4 billion (RM16.7 billion), before investing massively in the now failed Anglo Irish Bank, one of the biggest casualties of Ireland’s property bubble.

“It is with great sadness and regret that I have applied for voluntary bankruptcy in the High Court in Belfast today,” Quinn (picture) said in a statement. A court spokesman confirmed the court had declared him bankrupt.

Certified Financial Planner

He or she is a person with certified financial planner (CFP) or registered financial planner (RFP) credentials. A person with a CFP or RFP has a valid membership with a professional financial planners association and is registered with the Securities Commission under Section 59 of the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007 and performing the regulated activities of financial planning as defined in Schedule 2 of the Act.

Schedule 2 of the Act says that “financial planning” is a regulated activity and defined as the activity of analysing the financial circumstances of another person and providing a plan to meet that other person’s financial needs and objectives, including any investment plan in securities, whether or not a fee is charged in relation thereto.

“No person shall act as a representative in respect of any regulated activity or hold himself out as doing so unless he is the holder of a Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence for that regulated activity or is a registered person with respect to that regulated activity.

“A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and shall, upon conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding RM5mil or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to both.”

Moreover, she reiterated that financial planners could source products for their clients at competitive costs from a wider range of product providers.

A Tribute to Mr. Sugu

My last visit to Puchong Medical Specialists Centre was probably around June this year. I had to take some X-rays because of this minor but irritating pain at the back of my neck and backbone.

As usual, Mr. Sugu, the X-ray Technician helped me complete the task quickly with ease and comfort. Sugu is one of the greatest gentleman that I am most honored to meet. Always smiling, friendly, soft spoken and helpfull.

Today (11-11-11), I drove to Puchong Medical Specialists Centre (with my wife) to hand over a present for Mr. Sugu and to say "Hello" and wish him well on this special day.

Imagine our surprise and sorrow having been told that he passed away in September due to a heart attack. Sugu was only 47 years of age, leaving behind a spouse and 2 children.

We pray to God that he will care, comfort and protect Mr. Sugu. We will surely miss our friend, his smile and warmth. Today is a sad day for us.

Who Is Choo Hong Eng

The hawker who ignited a media brouhaha after being denied of her jackpot winnings worth $410,000 by Marina Bay Sands (MBS) will be getting it in full after all.

The casino had initially refused to pay Ms Choo Hong Eng the 'cash bonus' of $416,742.11 that was displayed on the slot machine's screen on Oct 18, saying that the machine had a cash limit of $50,000, and the message was due to a malfunction.
It offered to pay her $50,000 and give her a sports car worth $258,962.

It all began when the one-armed bandit she had parked herself at lit up, showing her that she had won over $400,000. But a casino employee told her it was an error.

Unhappy at not being given her full winnings, the vegetarian food stall hawker, went to the extent of hiring a lawyer to fight her case. She also complained to the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA).

MBS' offer came before CRA has issued its decision. Ms Choo has since withdrawn her complaint, according to The Straits Times.

Ms Choo said she will be donating all of her winnings to various charities, including the Ren Ci Hospital, the National Kidney Foundation and the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital.

Bad Day or Bad Boss

COMPANIES with strong leadership and a positive workplace culture are significantly more productive and profitable than their less progressive peers, new research presented at the federal government's jobs forum shows.

An 18-month study by the Society for Knowledge Economics found that High Performing Workplaces have 12 per cent higher productivity than Low Performing Workplaces when ranked in terms of their innovation, employee engagement, fairness, leadership and customer satisfaction.

How would you change your workplace to help everyone work better? Scroll down the page to take our New Work Project survey.

"It is clear from this research the key to increasing productivity at the workplace level comes from investing in people rather than changing the industrial relations system," Jobs Minister Chris Evans said.

The report found that the quality of an organisation's leaders and their ability to innovate and create positive employee experiences was directly related to the organisation's financial performance and productivity.

It also found that the average profit margin of High Performing Workplaces was three times higher than those of Low Performing Workplaces.

"The Gillard government's investment in workplace research shows we are committed to exploring every possible avenue to create better jobs, smarter workplaces and a more productive economy," Senator Evans said.

"This report provides clear evidence that improving Australia's productivity can be achieved by developing leadership and management capabilities in Australian workplaces."

The report involved 78 companies and more than 5000 employees.

Medical Leave

A the head of Human Resources at a very large bank, says that the best excuse for absenteeism, that he had ever received in his career of almost 22 years, was from a female Indian employee, at their bank's head quarters at Mumbai, India, in July, 2010

He says when the lady, was questioned on why she remained absent the previous day, she simply replied .......

"But sir, I had no option. My husband was on casual leave yesterday and was at home. By mistake he took pills from the wrong bottle in our medicine cabinet and ended up consuming an over-dose of Viagra! Now how could I have left him, all alone at home, with the house-maid?"

Mental Block

If you start with a cage containing five monkeys and inside the cage, hang a
banana on a string from the top and then you place a set of stairs under the
banana, before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb towards the
banana.

As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys with cold
water. After a while another monkey makes an attempt with same result ...all
the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon when another
monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put the cold water away. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it
with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb
the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of him.
After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the
stairs he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it with a new
one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer
takes part in the punishment... with enthusiasm.

Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by a fourth,
then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs he is
attacked.

Most of the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not
permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are
participating in the beating of the newest monkey. Finally, having replaced
all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever
been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, none of the monkeys will try to
climb the stairway for the banana.

Why, you ask? Because in their minds...that is the way it has always been!