I visited the National Skin Center two weeks ago. On driving into the car park, I was guided by a uniformed warden to a vacant space. I talked to him and learned that he was 66 years old.
It is a good idea to provide this type of employment for our older workers who need a job to get by. It keeps the elderly worker physically fit and active, and improves service to visitors of the car park. The warden can also provide directions.
If these decisions are left to individual businesss, most of them would prefer to save cost and not create this type of employment. However, if they are mandated to be necessary for car paks of certain sizes, there will be more jobs that are created for our older workers.
Tan Kin Lian
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Public transport fares, service and profits
A vandal broke in to a MRT depot and painted graffiti on a train. The vandalism was not noticed by the employees for some time, until a video was posted on Youtube by a passenger. What does this tell us?
SMRT has cut down its employees to be bare minimum to reduce cost and improve profits. It would have been better if SMRT had employed more people and show a smaller (but still healthy profit). This will create jobs for more people to provide better security and improve customer service. They should also run more trains to reduce the congestion and waiting time.
These actions can be taken without increasing the fares, as SMRT is showing a healthy profit. The Public Transport Council has to be more vigilent in moniting the fares, level of service and profits of our bus and train operators.
This is an example of the failure of the unregulated market in getting the right outcome for the country.
Tan Kin Lian
SMRT has cut down its employees to be bare minimum to reduce cost and improve profits. It would have been better if SMRT had employed more people and show a smaller (but still healthy profit). This will create jobs for more people to provide better security and improve customer service. They should also run more trains to reduce the congestion and waiting time.
These actions can be taken without increasing the fares, as SMRT is showing a healthy profit. The Public Transport Council has to be more vigilent in moniting the fares, level of service and profits of our bus and train operators.
This is an example of the failure of the unregulated market in getting the right outcome for the country.
Tan Kin Lian
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Logic Quiz
Try puzzle 8 in this webpage. It is a new type of logic quiz.
Tip
Althought the structure of the quiz is different, I was able to apply the same technique as the Intelligence Quiz to solve this puzzle.
Tip
Althought the structure of the quiz is different, I was able to apply the same technique as the Intelligence Quiz to solve this puzzle.
Trend towards contract work
Dear Mr. Tan
Without good paying jobs, consumption will suffer, which will cause even fewer jobs and less consumption:
http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/01/news/economy/contract_jobs/index.htm
JLN
My comment
I have observed this trend for some time. I agree with the findings. If workers do not have security of employment, things will continue to get worse.
How can top CEOs and bankers continue to make so much money, when other people in the economy suffer a drop in income? This is a consequence of our free market system. The solution is to get back to a more regulated economy - i.e. more regulation on terms of employments, hours of work, security of jobs, fair compensation and other factors.
Without good paying jobs, consumption will suffer, which will cause even fewer jobs and less consumption:
http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/01/news/economy/contract_jobs/index.htm
JLN
My comment
I have observed this trend for some time. I agree with the findings. If workers do not have security of employment, things will continue to get worse.
How can top CEOs and bankers continue to make so much money, when other people in the economy suffer a drop in income? This is a consequence of our free market system. The solution is to get back to a more regulated economy - i.e. more regulation on terms of employments, hours of work, security of jobs, fair compensation and other factors.
Economic growth and asset prices
Some economies were able to achieve rapid growth over an extended period. During the initial years, they adopted economic policies that proved to be attractive for inward foreign investments. This created jobs and lead to a productive economy.
The next stage of the economic development was funded by the rapid rise in property prices. As these assets appreciated in value, the owners felt that they had become wealthy. The governments were also able to use the appreciated values of their assets to take more borrowings to fund national development and other spending. Some of these spendings become wasteful and were not economical justifiable.
After a few decades of inflated asset values, these economies will have to face their reality. Asset bubbles allow more debts and borrowings and do not really create productive wealth. There has to be a payback time.
We have seen the bursting of the asset bubbles in Japan in the 1990s and the continuing pain for two decades. We are now seeing this situation in the USA and Europe. Singapore is also funded on this type of asset bubbles. The high property prices have to be paid through many years of future hard work.
It is sad that in an asset bubble, the earlier owners (including foreign funds) creamed off the big profits and leave the burden of higher asset prices to be paid for by future generations.
Tan Kin Lian
The next stage of the economic development was funded by the rapid rise in property prices. As these assets appreciated in value, the owners felt that they had become wealthy. The governments were also able to use the appreciated values of their assets to take more borrowings to fund national development and other spending. Some of these spendings become wasteful and were not economical justifiable.
After a few decades of inflated asset values, these economies will have to face their reality. Asset bubbles allow more debts and borrowings and do not really create productive wealth. There has to be a payback time.
We have seen the bursting of the asset bubbles in Japan in the 1990s and the continuing pain for two decades. We are now seeing this situation in the USA and Europe. Singapore is also funded on this type of asset bubbles. The high property prices have to be paid through many years of future hard work.
It is sad that in an asset bubble, the earlier owners (including foreign funds) creamed off the big profits and leave the burden of higher asset prices to be paid for by future generations.
Tan Kin Lian
How to end the meaningless struggle?
Extract from Tommy Wong's book, "Wisdom on How to Live Life"
Tom: Can you elaborate further on living as souls?
Guru: As we live as souls and we know that souls’ existence is eternal, we’re not too interested in undertaking tasks that are merely for the sustenance of our bodies.
Tom: So life is not about working for a living?
Guru: It should not be, but unfortunately many do and life becomes a meaningless struggle.
Tom: Meaningless, why meaningless?
Guru: Because many struggle just to keep their bodies going and yet their bodies are bound to perish. That’s why it’s meaningless.
Tom: Can we make life more meaningful?
Guru: Sure, by undertaking tasks that is good for the soul.
Tom: Such as?
Guru: To know spiritual truths, and to live with these truths and discriminate against falsehood.
Tom: Name one spiritual truth.
Guru: We are souls and not bodies.
Tommy Wong
This book can be purchased online here.
Training videos
Youtube is an excellent channel for businesses to upload videos for staff training, communication and marketing. It can be done in a simple, lost cost way and can achieve good results. Here is an example of the use of videos for marketing.
www.easysearch.sg/videos
www.easysearch.sg/videos
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