RajahJun

A hot topic today is China’s encroachment of Philippine  territory.  This has been going on for quite a while and now it is getting to be serious.  China recently established a municipality with a duly elected mayor.  This is just a few nautical miles away from us. A metaphor can best describe this encroachment.  It's like a distant neighbor who sets up his home right on our own backyard without any forewarning.  Then (he) shrugs it off when we complain and we can't do anything about it. Unfortunately the Philippines (my country) seems incapable of dealing with this issue head on.  It is simply because China is strong and mighty compared to our country, small and weak.  The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs, from news reports, has filed countless diplomatic protest through formal diplomatic channels but apparently ignored by China.  The only option the Philippines has right now regarding this issue is to rely heavily on its staunchest ally- the United Stat

Getting a driver's license in Doha, Qatar is quite easy if you're allowed to take the test immediately.  It's a different story when you have to go through driving school.  I needed the driver's license because my job as a sales executive requires me to go around Doha everyday. In securing a driving license, first you have to go to the Ministry of Transportation and file an application for driver's license.  Afterwards, the applicant will be required to undergo physical examination.  Then  a police officer will review your application and do a customary interview.  If you have a driver's license from your country, you need to present it along with your application.  If the police officer feels that you are already an experienced driver, he will recommend the applicant to take the practical driving exam. Unfortunately, when I presented my driver's license from the Philippines, it was a bit worn-out and the police officer thought that it was fake, so he r

After product development, social enterprises in the Philippines will be looking for markets to sell their products.  Market development is the next task on the list.  This task is important because it will decide the fate of the social enterprise. This blog, for now, will focus on the definitions of the various market segments.  Having an idea of the market will answer the question on where to sell the products. Below is a list of possible markets for social enterprise products.  It is important that products should fill the needs of the markets.  Sari Sari Stores - these are the typical mom and pop stores Wet market - market stalls inside public market Groceries - small groceries owned by owner Convenience stores - chains of convenience stores either operated by large retailers or individuals Institutions - companies that are usually industrial accounts requiring raw materials Export - countries with markets requiring social enterprise product lines Modern trade - ch

To achieve selling success, a salesperson should masterfully play a repertoire of roles, to project a more professional persona.  The salesperson should skillfully utilize a mix of roles fit for the selling situation he or she might be in, and clinch sales and make customers satisfied and happy. I will attempt to define the roles based on my experience as a salesperson: Front-liners - Salespersons usually are the first to interact with customers.  A first impression can make or break a sale.  A salesperson's decorum and demeanor should project a professional selling persona. Revenue-generator - In the traditional view, salespersons were expected to contribute to the company's topline. Back in the day, during sales huddles, the sales manager would cajole salespersons to hit the number by month's end.   Now, companies are training salespersons to be more conscious of the company's middle line, as well as bottom-line performance while they do business with customers

Selling success in today's highly competitive selling environment requires a salesperson to have an effective set of sales roles that the saleperson can slip into at moments notice.  This will either spell success or failure for a salesperson.  A more informed and discriminating class of customers expects nothing but the best service from a salesperson.  More importantly, the salesperson is expected to bring home the "bacon" so to speak. The salesperson's roles have expanded from mere selling or order-taking.  In fact I have performed these roles during the span of my selling career. I have listed down below, selling roles that have evolved based on what I've seen in the selling environment since the 1980's.  Likewise, most of the roles have become buzz words in current sales training programs and books: Front-liners Revenue-generator Service provider Trouble shooter Negotiator/Intermediary Communicator Consultant Strategic collaborator I w

In order to successfully migrate to the right side of the quadrant, Robert advised in his book "Rich Dad's Cash Flow Quadrant", take baby steps.  He also advised readers to build assets not liabilities". In my current situation, I have more liabilities than assets.  This was the result of sending my three children to college.  Fortunately, they've all finished college.  Having kids that finished college might be considered assets being parents, but not from a financial perspective. Going back to my liabilities, I have several.  I have a credit card debt from consumer purchases. Secondly, I have debts owed to relatives, when I took out personal loans from them to pay for college tuitions.  Lastly, I took out salary loans from the Social Security System and Pag-Ibig.  These loans are already in default and incurring penalties and surcharges. Again, take baby steps towards the right side of the quadrant.  But first things first, I need to retire my debts in orde

I was reading Robert Kiyosaki's book "Rich Dad - Cash Flow Quadrant" over the weekend. I bought the book a year ago and finally got the chance to read it.  Although after reading it, my (financial) life was still the same. After reading it again, it got me to seriously think about my own financial situation. The book mentioned about a cash flow quadrant that points out a person's sources of income. Readers are made to ask where they get their source of  income. The quadrant illustrates four sides namely: Employee, Self-Employed, Business owner and Investors quadrant. The employee and self-employed quadrant is on the left side while the business owner and investor is on the right side. File Image:  http://www.empowernetwork.com/tatipasa/files/2013/06/Quadrant-Inggris-explained.jpg My income comes from the employee quadrant, which has been my source for most of my adult life. Robert said that "E" quadrant will not give you financial freedom.  It will o

Poverty has plagued the Philippines for far too long.  Government has only nipped the bud. Development agencies has yet to see effective programs that can totally eradicate poverty.   Aid can only do so much. There's an old saying that " it is better to teach the man how to fish than to give him fish".   Social enterprise might possibly be the long term solution to poverty.  Social enterprise focuses on multiple bottom-lines and one of the bottom-line is the uplifting the lives of its primary stakeholders which is the marginalized poor.  The Social enterprise's "raison de etre" is to help the poor through business activity. Social enterprise can lead the way for the poor to get involved in entrepreneurial pursuits. Is this even possible? - where the poor is actually engaged in business  With much needed help from social enterprise this might be possible.  But in order for it to succeed, the poor should be a part of the enterprise. However, it is not

The pork barrel corruption in the Philippines continues to occupy media space this September 2013.  The news broke out last month saying that billions of pesos from pork barrel funds of lawmakers were diverted to fictitious foundations and were siphoned off to who knows where and that we do not know.  It will be revealed eventually. Whistle blowers opened the can of worms for the public, media and government to become aware of the billion pesos corruption. Pork barrel corruption by lawmakers have been a nagging problem even during the 60's and 70's.  Since I was a kid, I always see a caricature depiction of the pork barrel corruption in the editorial page of the leading dailies during those days.  It had always been debated in the halls of senate and congress in the past and up to now.  Why doesn't it end.?  Probably, selfish political interest prevents abolition of the pork barrel. But this recent corruption is already over the top.  Millions of Filipinos are working

Mel Fonollera, blogger Revised August 12, 2017 Bohol island is different from the other islands in the Philippines.  It remains verdant and in pristine condition, as if untouched by human hands.  Lush forest still covers the mountains; and along the shoreline thick mangroves abound as well. The green hues of vegetation on land and surrounding blue waters of the sea offers a feast to the eyes with enthralling contrast. How is this wonder of nature's art even possible?  With people living below, consuming natural resources to the brink of exhaustion.  Nature as a resource, as always, is at the beck and call of man to be extracted as he pleases. That is not the case for Bohol. Imagine man and environment existing harmoniously side by side. That's only the view from the air, wait till you see what's in store when you travel inside Bohol.  I only got to see two spots but it was worth seeing. I dozed off when the plane left Manila. Then what seemed like an hour, I sudden

It was my second week in Doha. I stayed at my brother's quarters on the outskirts of Doha...Abu Hamour. His accomodation was provided by the company where he is working.  It is beside a girls' school but you don't see any girls moving around. Behind are desert villas under construction.  Airconditioning is open 24/7 because no one can last the heat especially if  it is July where the temperature is the hottest and considered peak summer months.  Temperatures can go as high as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. I spent the idle days inside his room and  watching cable television the whole day.  It was toasting hot outside. A far cry from the heat in the Philippines. We didn't go job hunting immediately.  Instead we went to a big mall called the "Villagio" and beside it is a big structure which resembles a torch carried by olympic runners.  It was huge. The structure was built because the summer games were held in Doha.  Inside the Villagio mall was a replica of the Ven

Buddha is popularly known through statues and pictures sitting in a lotus position with a face in deep meditation. He has touched the lives of millions around the world. Buddha's teachings were simple with zen-like wisdom.  In one of his teachings he offers practical advise to humans on the source of their sufferings.  His teaching can also be a practical solution to global warming. It is all about taming our "trishna." Trishna in Hindi means “thirst”. Centuries ago a man by the name of Sidhhartha Gautam, who is also known as Buddah, realized as part of his enlightenment, that the troubles and grief of man was due to “thrishna”. Thrishna or thirst also means desires and wants. It is inherent in Man.  Unfortunately, man wants more and more. Buddah said that if man can control his desire then all of his problems will go away. Collectively, the unsatiable desires of all humans contribute to what we are now experiencing as global warming.   The unchecked wants an

Accounting is the systematic recording of an enterprise’s economic transactions and activities.  It is also the language of business.  Accounting for a small social enterprise is equally as important for large enterprises.  Reliability and relevance of accounting records is important to effectively manage a small social enterprise.  It helps guide the  entrepreneurs  of  small enterprises  to dispense decisions for the improvement of the enterprise. An unreliable accounting record is detrimental to the  health and well being of the social enterprise. As an analogy, it is difficult for a driver to know where he or she is going if the windshield is dirty.  An accident is bound to happen.  This can be compared to an entrepreneur naively relying on an unreliable accounting record.  Decisions  premised on unreliable accounting records would definitely result in unfavorable consequences.  Accounting  is the language of business, faulty language will result in faulty responses. Overs