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Money matters

Snap Shots

Modern Medicine

Heart to Heart with Hillary

Let’s go to the movies

Money matters:   Graham Macdonald MBMG International Ltd.

Southeast Asia competitiveness
 

Management performance of the 10 countries

Country

 managers’ competence Corporate culture Industry  Integration  International operation Productivity Aggregate
performance		  

 

           A  A

 

           priori posteriori

Brunei

5.9640 5.5278 5.2379 3.0139 8.3312 5.5634 5.5644

Cambodia

5.6905 4.7575 5.4750 2.9300 6.6819 5.0745 5.1078

Indonesia  

6.9501 5.9564 7.0872 5.6115 6.0328 6.3325 6.3795

Laos

4.2313 4.4215 4.3430 2.0330  6.2321 4.2091 4.2137

Malaysia

7.9662 6.7625 7.5972 7.2534 6.9960  7.3242 7.3546

Myanmar      

5.5976 4.2876 5.6029 2.7076 6.9361 4.9817 5.0202

Philippines   

8.5370 6.7385 7.9206 6.2897 5.7475 7.0844 7.1663

Singapore

9.8234  9.8605 10.0000 10.0000  5.4855 9.1183 9.1820

Thailand

8.0115  6.1448 7.4559 6.0204 5.3079  6.6244 6.7030

Vietnam

6.1204

 5.2312 5.4680 3.1574 4.8249 4.9759 5.0367

Weight

             

Lower   

0.2004 0.1727 0.1680 0.1869   0.1293 0.1745  

bound

             

Upper

0.2364 0.2417 0.2122 0.2290 0.2018  0.2680  

bound

             

A priori 

0.2156 0.2092  0.1926 0.2022 0.1804 0.2381  

A
posteriori

 0.2364 0.1987 0.2122 0.1869 0.1658 0.2680  

*Bold-face numbers are weights associated with the primary factor management.

National competitiveness of the 10 countries

Country

 This research Global competitiveness report World Competitiveness

 

 A posteriori GCI BCI Yearbook 2005

1. Singapore

8.4914 5.48 (6) (5) 89.679 (3)

2. Malaysia

7.0434 4.90 (24)  (23) 65.844 (28)

3. Thailand

6.6713 4.50 (36) (37) 66.012 (27)

4. Indonesia

6.0457 3.53 (74) (59) 33.811 (59)

5. Philippines  

5.8279 3.47 (77) (69) 51.103 (49)

6. Brunei

5.8276 - - -

7. Vietnam

5.6384 3.37 (81) (80) -

8. Myanmar

5.3797 - - -

9. Cambodia

5.1658 2.82 (112) (109) -

10. Laos

4.8864 - - -

We recently came across the article “Measuring the national competitiveness of Southeast Asian countries” published last year by Taiwanese scholars Chiang Kao, Wann-Yih Wu, Wen-Jen Hsieh, Tai-Yue Wang, Chinho Lin and Liang - Hsuan ChenChinho Lin and Liang - Hsuan Chenn Chennnnhenn Chenn
While this acknowledges that there is no agreed formula, it recognizes that any worthwhile measure is built around quantifying the ability in an environment conducive to improving the prosperity of a country. It is this broad definition that has attracted considerable attention from policy makers, enterprises, and the public, and “rankings based on the spirit of this definition regularly appear in policy statements and the media.”
The report notes that there are two leading indices that measure national competitiveness. One is prepared by the IMD and appears in the World Competitiveness Yearbook, and the other is contained in the Global Competitiveness Report of the WEF. The former uses approximately 300 criteria to rank 60 countries, while the latter uses approximately 170 variables to rank 117 countries. Note that the number of criteria for the two indices differs from year to year and the number of countries being ranked has been increasing over the years.
Both indices rely on evidence-based hard data and opinion-based soft data. The major difference between these two indices is that the WEF places greater reliance on soft data (around two-thirds), while for the IMD this is reversed.
Lall (2001) points out that the Global Competitiveness Report has deficiencies at several levels. It suffers from several analytical, methodological, and quantitative weaknesses. For example, some of its implicit premises are suited to advanced countries, rather than equally applicable to less developed ones. The economic model that supposedly underlies it has little to do with its empirical approach. And there are many variables on which hard quantitative data are available but questionnaire surveys are used instead.
As a matter of fact, these weaknesses are also shared with the World Competitiveness Yearbook. In addition to these shortcomings, both publications concentrate on more developed countries. For example, in the World Competitiveness Yearbook there is a criterion for the number of Nobel Prize winners, for which it is almost impossible for underdeveloped countries to score above zero.
Southeast Asia has 10 countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a total area of more than 4 million square kilometres and a total population of more than 530 million. Because of foreign direct investment from the East Asian countries, the area has experienced an “Asian miracle” and emerged as a fast-growing region of the world.
This region has abundant natural resources and a sufficient and cheap labour force. Since the creation of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), this region has experienced fast economic development. Competitiveness has long been considered a matter of national economic survival by these countries.
In the 2005 rankings, the World Competitiveness Yearbook utilized 314 criteria belonging to four factors: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure. The criteria considered in constructing the Global Competitiveness Index of the WEF fall into nine, what they call, pillars: institutions, infrastructure, macro economy, health and primary education, higher education and training, market efficiency, technological readiness, business sophistication, and innovation.
The second column of the following table shows the national competitiveness of the 10 countries in descending order. Singapore has the highest score. This is not surprising. Malaysia and Thailand are the second and third best, respectively. Their scores are significantly smaller than those of Singapore. The remaining seven countries, in sequence, are Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.
In the Global Competitiveness Report 2005 (WEF website), 117 countries have been ranked, which include Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The report contains two indices, Growth Competitiveness Index (GCI), which attempts to measure economic conditions that lead to high GDP per capita growth, and Business Competitiveness Index (BCI), which concentrates more on micro-economic factors to measure the current level of competitiveness. The order of these seven countries for both of these two indices is the same as that of this research. The third column of the Table shows the GCI and their world ranks (in parentheses) of these seven countries. For BCI only the ranks have been reported, they are listed in the fourth column.
The results of the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005 (IMD website) are somewhat different from ours. For the 60 countries being ranked, five Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, are included.
The results show that Singapore has the highest national competitiveness and is a distance ahead of other Southeast Asian countries. Malaysia and Thailand, two fast-growing countries in this region, are the second and third best, respectively. The largest country, Indonesia, is ranked the fourth. The Philippines, a country with a glorious past, is ranked fifth. Next is the oil-rich country Brunei. Then we have Vietnam, a country liberalizing its economy and opening its markets after decades of communism. Philippines, Brunei, and Vietnam have very close scores for national competitiveness.
The relatively closed countries Myanmar and Laos are ranked eighth and tenth, respectively, and Cambodia, a country which has suffered from internal turmoil for a long time, is ranked ninth.
Vietnam is ranked lower than the Philippines and Brunei. One reason is its less satisfactory performance on technology, especially on R&D. Hence, if the Vietnam government can require its enterprises to increase expenditures on R&D, then the performance of Vietnam on technology can be improved, and consequently its national competitiveness will be raised.
For Thailand, I think that we are all too aware of the factors that currently require significant improvement.

The above data and research was compiled from sources believed to be reliable. However, neither MBMG International Ltd nor its officers can accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the above article nor bear any responsibility for any losses achieved as a result of any actions taken or not taken as a consequence of reading the above article. For more information please contact Graham Macdonald on [email protected]@mbmg-international.com.com

Snap Shots: by Harry Flashman

Is this the ultimate point and shoot?

January marked the month that Olympus raised the bar for point and shoot digital cameras with the launch of the new 26x optical zoom SP-590 Ultra Zoom. That’s the biggest zoom yet, and the equivalent of a zoom lens covering 26-676 mm focal length. That is huge.
This means the versatility offered by this zoom lens is extreme, it can capture images from macro to almost any distance. The SP-590 produces 12 megapixel images, and has Dual Image Stabilization, Face Detection, Ultra High-Speed Sequential shooting and a 2.7 inch LCD, and will be available in March this year with an estimated price in the US of $450.
According to the press hand-outs, the Olympus ultra zoom cameras provide flexibility and manual controls for experienced shutterbugs, while being as easy and approachable as a point and shoot for the novice.
The camera is loaded with modes to allow the novice to approach professional quality photographs. The SP-590UZ does this with pre-capture scene modes: Multiple Exposure, Soft Background Focus and Beauty Mode.
The new features enable creative effects to be made inside the camera as the images are captured! These new creative features were adapted by Olympus from the recently announced E-30 DSLR camera.
Multiple exposure, in the new SP-590UZ, means the photographer can take two separate photographs and then overlay them to craft one unique image. For example, placing the moon over a natural desert ridge, or use the new Soft Background Focus mode on your next trip to a National Park. It enables you to slightly blur the beautiful vista, lake or canyon in the background to accent the majestic wildlife in the foreground.
Beauty Mode lets you soften shadows and smooth wrinkles or blemishes on your subject’s face - all in the camera and as you capture the image. Additionally, subtle edits can be made post-capture using the Beauty Fix mode. Choose “Clear Skin” to smooth a person’s complexion, “Dramatic Eye” to slightly emphasize the eyes, and “Sparkle Eye” to brighten and enhance the contrast of the iris and pupils. You can also apply all three edits at once. All done in the camera without a PC and costly image editing software.
For me, this is not really photography any longer, when you can manipulate the images to that degree. By the time you apply Clear Skin, Dramatic Eye and Sparkle Eye you have made a toad into a frog and a frog into a prince. I suppose the none too subtle difference is whether you consider the journey important, or just the destination.
However, the SP-590UZ offers the advanced manual controls that experienced photographers demand and find on a digital SLR (single lens reflex), but has the compact body of an ultra zoom with the flexibility of high-performance optics usually found in interchangeable lenses for DSLR cameras.
“The SP-590UZ brings subjects closer with the world’s most powerful optical zoom, and the zoom is just one of many elements that set this camera apart. Macro to wide-angle there are no compromises,” said Nadine Clark, product manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “Because of its compact size and an impressive zoom range, it’s the ideal choice for travelers and everyone who enjoys the great outdoors.”
The bright, f2.8-5.0 lens construction combines aspherical lens elements and extra-low dispersion (ED) lens elements to deliver edge-to-edge sharpness and clarity.
The SP-590UZ connects to an HDTV with an HDMI cable. All Olympus digital point-and-shoot cameras accept xD-Picture Card™ media. Starting with products available last August 2008, they also accept microSD memory cards to capture images.
Dual Image Stabilization enables users to take crisp, clear pictures in virtually any shooting situation - adjusting for camera shake and a moving subject. Olympus’ mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization keeps images sharp by adjusting the image sensor to compensate for camera shake, which often occurs when zooming in on your subject and in low-light conditions when shutter speeds are slower. Digital Image Stabilization freezes the action with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds that prevent blur caused by a moving subject.
With all these features, this camera makes your D-SLR obsolete, but I really wonder if the keen photographer wants them all, and at the price, the point and shoot brigade will stick to less expensive cameras.

Modern Medicine: by Dr. Iain Corness, Consultant

Sex - Age and ED

There is a group of older men who meet regularly at Au Bon Pain for breakfast. I call them the Saturday morning club, and it is by invitation that I join them. Most of them are at least 70 and a couple are 80, and when a fellow human being gets to that age, they are worth listening to. They’ve seen more and done more than most of us.
One of these chaps is Sam Corwin, an octogenarian who enjoys life to the full, and the following article comes from Sam. I’ve had to tone down some of the ‘earthy’ language (sorry Sam), but it is worth reading because it shows there are essential differences between making out and making love.
Here is Sam’s story in his words: Ageing comes easy. One just rolls with the punches and grows older. Sex is harder to come by and E.D. or Erectile Dysfunction comes without being asked.
Having a lot of free time on my hands, an unused computer and many thoughts to express and share with others, I thought I might print them out for others to read. I believe this information may help older people who might be having related problems. People find it hard to talk to a doctor, especially if it concerns sex. By chance if they come across this article, read it, and maybe it might help them to see what they’re missing in life.
For openers, I speak not as an authoritarian but as an old man who is fast approaching his 82nd birthday. So, give me credit for longevity. This article is primarily for the men with E.D. I am not a clinician or a shrink but one who observes and has also been through E.D.
I will pose a simple question and upon answering it, you’ll begin the first stage of your enlightenment. How many eyes do you have on your Dick, Richard, Peter? If you come up with the same answer that I have, we now move forward.
You go to beach and see the lovely nubile things wearing skimpy bras and thongs and you stare. You may even get some feeling of arousal, which is very normal occurrence. So, your Dick not having eyes gets the felling that is originating in the head atop your shoulders. You begin to get the drift of it? Your Dick is getting the signals from your brain and your brain is controlling your Dick. So the E.D. problem isn’t in the Dick. It’s in the brain.
Now for the Heart People: You’ve had open heart surgery. The doctor gets you out of bed to exercise. While lying there you get horny but you are afraid of the exertion. Remember, your heart is a muscle that needs exercising. As you exercise your heart, the lungs expand and contract providing more oxygen to your system. How much exertion can you take? You are the decider. Don’t pamper yourself or over exert.
In sex, you are the “Band leader”. Your main goal is gratification. This is accomplished by releasing the build up of seminal fluids. Suppose you slow down and enjoy the act at a slower pace that doesn’t set you to panting.
At an expat meeting, a question was asked by someone about performance. The man didn’t ejaculate so he presumed he failed. I had an answer for him. I asked him if he was an actor and expected an Oscar for his performance. Having sex is a pleasurable experience for two and a man doesn’t have to ejaculate to enjoy the event. I know that for a fact. At my age, the seminal fluids build up slower than in younger man. Knowing this I concentrate on my partner. Try being the Romeo and bring your Juliet to the boiling point and meld into the situation. For the heart man, relax and let her be the leader of the band. If you are in harmony, she won’t quit until she’s tired. Just don’t push the exertion factor. If you haven’t ejaculated you’ve had a wonderful experience. You’ve made love and the lady is more than happy for she too has experienced the utmost in human pleasure.
(Thanks Sam. Dr. Iain)

Heart to Heart with Hillary

Hello Hillary,
I read your column every week and cannot understand why you continue to print Mistersinga’s letters. They serve no useful purpose other than to make every other letter you print more interesting by comparison. Maybe I just answered my own question.
Red Barron

Dear Red Barron,
Maybe you did answer your own question? However, I am a softy at heart, and can’t ignore all his letters. Yes, there’s more letters than just the ones that grace these pages of purple prose, let me assure you. I refuse to publish anything that could be considered as referring to my undergarments, for one! By the way, interesting spelling of Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen’s nickname (2 May 1892 - 21 April 1918). He was, as you no doubt know, a German fighter pilot in WWI and was known as the Red Baron (single ‘R’, petal, single ‘R’).

Dear Hillary,
With the general tightening of the belts that will be happening in Thailand, do you think prices will come down in the red light areas? And by how much? This could be a very good tourist draw card if given the right publicity.
TAT

Dear TAT,
That is your nickname, I suppose. That’s nothing to do with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, is it? Actually, you have me confused TAT, my Petal. We don’t have “red light areas” in Thailand, other than at intersections, where the red is mixed with yellow and green in an alternating kind of fashion. If this is what you mean, then nothing to worry about, as we ignore all three colors equally. As far as “prices” are concerned, not only do we ignore the lights, but we certainly don’t have to pay for them either. Makes me wonder what sort of country do you come from, TAT?

Dear Hillary,
My girlfriend Lek seems to work in a totally different time clock to me. She can go up the road to the market and come back two hours later as if she’d just been away for five minutes. She takes the maid with her so I know she’s not up to something. How can I get her to understand I get worried that something has happened to her?
Untimely

Dear Untimely,
You have a real time problem here. Thai people do not have the pressing need to watch the clock the way foreigners do. You should explain to her that you are not checking up on her as this is certainly not good for any relationship, but that you are just worried for her safety, which is something Thai people do understand and appreciate. You should also make sure she takes a mobile phone with her. Buy her one if she hasn’t got one already. They are cheap enough these days and will save you hours of agonizing.

Dear Hillary,
We are looking at buying some furniture for the bedroom, but when we go to the store and look at what is there, they tell us that we cannot take the actual wardrobe we see there in the shop and want, as it comes in a kit form. I am hopeless at this construction sort of thing, and my husband not much better (he failed Meccano 1). Have you any answer for us? Or is it DIY lessons out here for everyone?
Bedroom Sweet

Dear Bedroom Sweet,
Time you went to another furniture shop, my Petal. You do not have to assemble the furniture yourself, but your agreed price at the end of all the toing and froing, will include delivery and assembly. If the shop you have been looking in doesn’t explain this to you properly, then it is time to find one that does not suggest you buy a full kit of screwdrivers as well. Hillary had some wardrobes delivered the other day and they assembled both in under one hour, cleaned the room afterwards and even took the packing away. I gave the men a small tip, I was so pleased with what they had done. (Only small, mind you, on my salary I can’t even afford chocolates this week, and champagne is out of the question!)

Dear Hillary,
I live overseas, but I read your column on the internet version. I like the way you have very practical advice, even though sometimes your barbed tongue hides the real meaning for a while till you read it again. I am coming over to Thailand for two months at the beginning of March next year and I would like to go touring all over the place, but since I can’t speak Thai I will need a guide. Do you know of any places that would supply such a person or are the girls that work in the bars suitable and trustworthy for this kind of thing?
Terry

Dear Terry,
Open your wallet and say after me, “Help yourself.” Tell me you are not that silly. While I thank you for the kind words, surely if you are a regular reader you will have understood there are hazardous ways of getting things done in this country, and you are suggesting one. There are plenty of guided tours in all the tourist spots in Thailand - use them.

Let’s go to the movies: by Mark Gernpy

Now playing in Pattaya
Defiance: US Drama/ Action – I thought this a superb war drama and thriller with a lot of thought in it – a must-see in my opinion.  Based on a true story, this is an epic tale of family, honor, and vengeance in World War II.  The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the thousands.  Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood.  There they begin a desperate battle against the Nazis.  Starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell. Directed by Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond).  Rated R in the US for violence and language.  Only mixed or average reviews, but I thought it riveting, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to see something substantial and provocative as well as exciting.
Pride and Glory: US Crime/ Drama – Edward Norton and Colin Farrell star in an authentic, gritty, and emotional portrait of the New York City Police Department following a multi-generational police family whose moral code is tested when one of two sons on the force investigates an incendiary case involving his older brother and brother in law.  The case forces the family to choose between their loyalties to one another and their loyalties to the department.  Rated R in the US for strong violence, pervasive language, and brief drug content.  Mixed or average reviews.  At the new SFX Pattaya Beach only.
Inkheart: Germany/ UK/ US Adventure/ Family/ Fantasy – Brendan Fraser and Helen Mirren.  Based on Inkheart, a 2003 children’s fantasy novel by prolific German author Cornelia Funke (who has been likened to J.K. Rowling), and the first part in Funke’s Inkworld series, the other two books being Inkspell and Inkdeath.  The fantasy trilogy concerns the adventures of bookbinder Mortimer “Mo” Folchart (played in the film by Brendan Fraser, at the insistence of the author) and his 12-year-old daughter, Meggie (Eliza Hope Bennett), a voracious reader.  As revealed in the film’s prologue, Mo is a Silvertongue, a person with the rare ability to bring the characters in a book to life simply by reading the text aloud.  Directed by Iain Softley (The Wings of the Dove, Backbeat).  Mixed or average reviews.
Fireball / Tar Chon: Thai Action/ Martial Arts – The world of underground barbaric fighting in Thailand.
High School Musical 3: US Musical – A continuation of the hit musical series.  The kids are now seniors.  Again, terrific singing and dancing.  (Arrival delayed due to a shortage of prints!)  Mixed or average reviews.
Red Cliff Part 2: Hong Kong War/ Action – The second and final half to John Woo’s magnum opus Red Cliff, and an epic on a grand scale as only the Chinese can do.
The Elephant King: US/ Thai Drama/ Romance – Filmed for the most part in Chiang Mai.  A domineering mother (Ellen Burstyn) dispatches her young, introverted son Oliver off to Chiang Mai to do everything he can to lure his reckless, older brother back home to the U.S.  Rated R in the US for sexual content, drug use, language and some violence.  Mixed or average reviews.
The Fatality: Thai/Taiwan Mystery/ Horror – An unsuccessful man in Taipei commits suicide, only to wake up in the body of a coma victim in Bangkok.  His new life is almost perfect – he now has a stable job, a healthy body, and a beautiful wife, but as the two souls fight for control of the body they start developing supernatural powers over life and death itself, leaving havoc in their wake.  A Thai-Taiwanese co-production.
Blue Sky of Love / Fah Sai Jai Chuen Ban: Thai Drama – A supposedly comic view of the bloody student protests of 6 October 1976.  “Juvenilism of the worst kind, not because of its silly humor, but because it’s oblivious to the gravity of history, and because it exploits that history with a nonchalance that borders on irresponsibility and heartlessness.” – Bangkok Post.  Please, stay away!
Yes Man: US Comedy – Jim Carrey as a man who signs up for a self-help program based on one simple principle: say “yes” to everything for an entire year.  Mixed or average reviews.
Quarantine: US Horror/ Mystery/ Thriller – A television reporter and her cameraman are trapped inside a building quarantined by the US government after the outbreak of a mysterious virus which turns humans into bloodthirsty killers.  Told in the shaky hand held camera style that makes some viewers ill, I found it a quite frightening movie.  Rated R in the US for bloody violent and disturbing content, terror, and language.  Mixed or average reviews.  At the new SFX Pattaya Beach only.
Bedtime Stories: US Comedy/ Family/ Fantasy – Adam Sandler in a family comedy about a hotel handyman whose life changes when the lavish bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to magically come true.  Generally negative reviews.