"" Welcome to my thoughts: December 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Year 2011...

Many great things happened in 2011. First multiparty local council election held. Economic reform agenda proposed, and related laws & regulations passed. First ever Text bill implemented. GST & TGST, income tax introduced.

Aasandha- government health insurance scheme for all Moldavians was introduced, capped Mrf 100,000.00. Many peaceful demonstrations were held.

Largest peaceful demonstration held in 23 December 2011. Government decided to ban alcohol & spas.


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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Build Your Personal Value Proposition

Executives set value propositions for their products — the target market segments, the benefits they provide, and their prices. It's why a target customer should buy the product.
Executives set value propositions for their products — the target market segments, the benefits they provide, and their prices. It's why a target customer should buy the product. But value propositions go beyond just products. Your personal value proposition (PVP) is at the heart of your career strategy. It's the foundation for everything in a job search and career progression — targeting potential employers, attracting the help of others, and explaining why you're the one to pick. It's why to hire you, not someone else.

The question is this: How do you develop a powerful PVP?
Take a look at Steve (name has been changed). Steve is a tall, 54-year-old manufacturing executive. Steve's interest and skill at manufacturing operations is the cornerstone of his PVP.

It's hard to know what you're really good at. You need more than the ordinary, convenient categories. I seek the kinds of things where I fit naturally, what I enjoy. That's not consumer products, not hard science, not financial institutions, and not an enterprise that's pursuing something other than long-term financial objectives. I look for operations-intensive companies who can benefit from significant performance improvement. I take floundering institutions and go build things. It's not quite turnaround, not slash and burn; but it's a far way from peaceful stewardship of assets. I'm a go-build guy.

Steve targets companies from $150 million sales up to $1 billion. He doesn't want start-ups, where everything would need to be set up, or a company so large that he couldn't know people down the line. He prefers private companies. With no experience with the special duties of a public corporation's CEO, he feels it doesn't make sense to have to learn all that on the job at this point in his work life.
Steve also emphasizes his view of the right atmosphere: "I'm not at all into sleazy places, nor into industries like tobacco, alcohol, or casinos. Ethically-challenged places are no fun." We could debate whether those industries pose ethical issues, but that's not the point. They aren't right for him.
Steve's leaving out the great majority of corporations, but that doesn't limit him. He gets three or four calls a year asking him to consider a corporate CEO position. Those calls come both because he's a strong candidate for jobs where he fits and because the people who call know that. They don't call about everything. They call about positions that connect to Steve's PVP. It's easy to understand where he's strong and what he wants to do. His PVP is distinctive, unlike what similarly qualified executives might say about themselves.

Here are four steps to develop a strong PVP:

Set a clear target. The PVP begins with a target, one that needs what you have to offer. You'll prefer some directions, not others. Targeting will make you most effective.

Identify your strengths. It may sound obvious, but what you know and what you can do are the foundation of your PVP. Hone in on what those are.

Tie your strengths to your target position. Don't leave it up to the employer to figure out how your strengths relate to what she needs. Let your PVP tightly connect you to the position. Connect the dots for her. Consider her perspective and know why she should hire you or promote you.

Provide evidence and success stories. Your strengths may be what an employer is "buying," but your achievements are the evidence you have those strengths. They make your case convincing. Some people prepare a non-confidential portfolio to showcase that evidence in a vivid way. They collect reports they wrote that had impact. They pull together facts on measurable achievements such as sales growth or cost reduction.
Steve's target — mid-sized, privately-held industrial companies that need significant operations improvement to enable growth — is an excellent example of the first of these steps. He's setting himself up in his distinct target area, where his network knows him well. His past success demonstrates that he has the capability and emphasizes his strengths. In all of this, Steve's intrinsic quality is critical to his success, but it's not the whole story. It's through his PVP that Steve's making the most of his talents.

As you think about your own career strategy, think about Steve and his narrowly defined and distinctive PVP. What's your value proposition?

By: Bill Bernett.
You can find same article oin HBR Blog, 17 Sept 2011.

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Future of Tourism in Maldives

Tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. Started in 1972, over the past 29 years more than 90 resorts were built, and are still developing in different provinces. Over 600,000 tourists visit Maldives every year.

It was in 2005 government opened-up tourism business to the country as a whole. As a result investors started developing resorts in
North and south of Male' atoll. First ever public listed company in Maldives- Maldives Tourism Development Corporation was formed.


Human Resource shortage

Among the local workforce, more than 75 per cent of workers in resorts are from different Islands. Most of these people are working in resorts nearby Male' City. As a result of stretching tourism's arm to the whole country these people started seeking job opportunities nearer to their own island, which resulted creating a huge vacuum in resorts operating in Male' Atoll. Government and private sector did not put much effort for developing of local talents. Hotel School now known as FHTS is totally neglected. Parents started openly rejecting their Sons and Daughters working in resorts due to religious controversial issues. Nor government and MATI tried to educate parents on those issues. For all these reasons huge percentage of revenue leak to other economies. Currently more than 99000 foreigners are working in Maldives, among them roughly 41% is engaged in tourism related business.

Religious extremism and tourism

Through political reform effort by former regime political atmosphere changed. Freedom of association and freedom of speech is considered as a basic human right. Many political movements and parties were formed. First ever multi-party election held in 2008. The biggest opposition party with help of other small parties came to power in 2008 election. Not even three months to the new government ministers belong to other parties started resigning one after the other.

Government effort to sell alcoholic beverages in inhabited island was forced to stop due to public pressure. After few months Holiday Inn hotel announced selling of their property in Capital City. Mainly due to banning selling of Alcoholic and pork items in hotel.

Recently in 23 December 2011, mass demonstration was held throughout the country. Protesters demanded government to ban alcoholic beverages and pork Items in Maldives. Other demands include closing down of Spas and banning of Israel National flights coming to the country. A week later government responded to their demands and announced to closing down of spas and banning alcohol in Maldives. Parliament committee decided to ban Israel flights to Maldives.

Mentioned are directly related to tourism business. Ironically most of those demands were proposed by tourism tycoons. If government implement what was promised, investors will loose their confidence over us, and will loose huge revenue as a TGST.

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

I wish...

It has been quite sometime I did not update my blog. It is mainly due to heavy workload and unstable Internet connection in remote areas.

Anyway, I did not know about iPhone blogger application. Blogger app is so amazing. This is my first entry using blogger app.

Hereafter I wish to continue updating my blog regularly.
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