LOOKING BEYOND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (MODULE 1)

HOW WILL THIS COURSE BENEFIT YOU?




BY ATTENDING THIS TRAINING, YOU WILL :


- understand your own company's financial statements better to prepare and strategise your messages to an ever discerning/demanding stakeholders' audience.


- know the need to build the "extra edge" as a result of the changes of the investing landscape (i.e. capital markets are very competitive today and investment managers require high calibre information)


- learn to deliver more convincing messages by letting your financial figures and facts speak for you


- be able to prepare in advance in addressing the financial queries and concerns more objectively before you are being asked.


- have a clearer picture as to how your company is navigated towards its operating and strategic goals




WHO SHOULD ATTEND


ALL NON FINANCIAL EXECUTIVES IN THE COMPANY WHO ARE INVOLVED IN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING :


CEOs
COOs
Investor Relations Executives/Managers
PR Executives/ Managers
CorpComms Managers
Non Finance Managers


Course outline


This course highlights the essentials of the financial skills so as to build an 'extra edge' to the ever increasing demand of the stakeholders as a result of the increasing competition for funds in the capital markets. As such, all companies need to equip their teams with solid and practical financial knowledge so as to address their information needs and concerns. This training will give the participants a practical insight of better handling these challenges in looking beyond financial statements. Unlike a large-scale conference, this workshop capacity is deliberately kept to a manageable classroom size to facilitate effective learning and meaningful discussion.


PROGRAM OUTLINE


THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


No matter what size the company and nature of its business, it is essential to acknowledge and recognise the importance of its financial statements as a mean to understand its performance and financial health.


The question arises here is whether understanding the financial statements is sufficient.



HOW TO HAVE A QUICK VIEW ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
- 9 pointers
- what are they
- why they are important


It is important to have a helicopter view of the company so as not to lose sight of their core objectives in the course of running their day-to-day operations, often losing battles not of knowledge but of the minds of both senior management and the investing community.


MAIN COMPONENTS OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


- what are they
- you can not read them in isolation, but in integral parts
- let your financial figures and facts speak for you
- their relevance and limitations
- the key messages they are telling you


Understand each component of the financial statements; their usefulness and limitations. What is more important is the key message they are telling you.

You may view the date and venue of this course being conducted by clicking at the title of this post.FINANCIAL RATIOS
- serve as measuring tools, monitoring, comparing and bench marking
- objective assessment
- 7 main types
- the underlying factors/ causes


Understand each type of ratios; their relevance and limitations. What are the convincing messages and the concerns you need to address so as to achieve both of your operating and strategic goals.








KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS


- definition
- characteristics
- why it is important


This is vitally important for you to stay focus on these key indicators to ensure that you are working towards your goals.


OTHER FACTORS


- Industry outlook
- trend analysis
- the operating environment


Understand the external changes that will have implications on your company and the mitigation factors. Their risks and opportunities. Be vigilant to these changes and responsive effectively.


FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS AND THEIR KEY ASSUMPTIONS


To give a foreseeable outcome based on the reliable and objective assumptions


The likely scenario based on their reliable and consistent key assumptions in a forseeable operating environment so as to gain confidence from the financial community and trust ultimately.

8 reasons to write and sell your own EBook

Greetings from Malaysia,

Recently, I write and share with you about the article below and greatly appreciate your view/feedback in this regard. I find it very encouging and inspiring and wishing to publish mine in the near future. Any co-writer/ partner is always welcome. For those interested, you may drop me an email at jamesoh2003@yahoo.co.uk. Thnak youin advance for your kind participation.

8 reasons to write and sell your own EBook


by Daniel Moro

If you are setting up an online business then sooner or later you will wonder whether you should be writing and selling your own ebook. Here are 8 reasons why you should do it.

1. Brand Awareness

When you write your own ebook and publish it online, not only is there the prestige of being able to call yourself a book author, there is also an increase in brand awareness.

Your audience will grow to recognize and trust your name, they will perceive you as more of an expert in your topic, and they will be more likely to purchase something from you in the future.

2. Good Prices

If you believe that electronic books always sell for less than their paper counterparts, think again! Ebooks are regularly selling for remarkably high prices.

If you don’t believe me, have a browse at the ebook marketplace at ClickBank. In this marketplace alone there are over 10,000 products for sale and many of them are ebooks priced between $20 and $50.

3. Low Production Cost

Ebooks take an investment of time during the development stage, but once they are finished they don’t cost anything to produce. There is no manufacturing process required.

You simply place the file on a web server so that your customers can download it.

4. Low Delivery Cost

Ebooks are almost free to store and deliver. Have you ever worked in retail? Then you may know what is involved in maintaining a storeroom, making deliveries to customers, handling returns, and keeping track of all the stock.

When you sell ebooks you need not worry about all of that. You don’t need any special storage space in your office. You only need a few megabytes on your hardrive. And you don’t have to worry about any product returns!

5. Instant Delivery

Ebook delivery is instant and, like production and storage, delivery of ebooks costs virtually nothing. Most customers download their ebook from the Internet immediately after completing their payment.

6. High Profit Margins

After reading the reasons given above, you should not be at all surprised to learn that ebooks have very high profit margins. Once the ebook is written the only real cost you will have is a small percentage for payment processing fees.

7. Never Run Out of Stock

You will never run out of stock. That is, unless you accidentally delete your final copy of the ebook… in which case you better talk very nicely indeed to one of the customers who already purchased your ebook.

8. Instant Gratification

Customers love to buy products that they can receive immediately and selling ebooks is a way of providing this instant gratification. They allow you to provide instant information, instant advice and instant solutions to your readers.

As you can see, ebooks are truly a wonderful tool for online businesses. Get started on your own ebook right away.

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

WORLD'S BEST UNDERWATER PHOTO 10

"Thanks to Keri" by Michele Davino - a juvenile flying fish in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

"Struggle for freedom" by Karel Bernard - herring inside a net in the Baltic Sea

MAGNOLIAS..........By Edna Ellison

I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away.

As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle . ...

So many details, so many bills, and so little time. My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give her away since she was about three years old!

To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green leaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church.

After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.

The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiance Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.

I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding.

Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.'
I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.

Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!'

I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.

As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance.. I approached a house...No dog in sight. I knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good. No shotgun.

When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!'

He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.'
'No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.'
'What?' I asked.
'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday.  He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.'
I nodded.
'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.'
I stood with my mouth open.
He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...'
I assured him I was no angel.
He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?'
'No.'
'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'

I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.'

But God found a way. Through dead flowers.

'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.'

If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing.  If you have missed some of my emails, you may have missed a laugh.  But, if you have missed knowing my LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, you have missed everything in the world.

May God's blessings be upon you.

THIS IS SO TRUE, BEING NEEDED IS SO UPLIFTING TO EACH OF US...

This story is too beautiful not to share....

I LOVE YOU (VIDEO)

FOODSTUFFS THAT KEEP YOU YOUNG

FOODSTUFFS THAT KEEP YOU YOUNG  

Spinach contains the pigment lutein, present in the retina, which helps maintain the health of the eye.  

Tomatoes contain the anti-oxidant lycopene, which can protect the skin from UV damage from the sun.  


Purple or red berries - such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries - are full of anthocyanins which can help protect against diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and help maintain strong arteries.  


Oily fish, such as fresh water salmon, herring, mackerel and sardines, and also flax seeds and linseeds, are the main source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can delay the ageing process of the skin.


Water: drinking more aids digestion and elimination; drinking too little can harm the complexion. 

...AND SOME THAT AGE YOU 

Carbonated drinks - along with tea, coffee, sugar, red meat and alcohol - can push the body's balance towards the acidic, meaning that alkaline minerals (such as calcium) are removed from bone stores to balance it, weakening the bones. Restricting them may help you keep stronger bones.  

Nightshade vegetables - potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, aubergine and peppers - while often healthy in other respects, contain a chemical that studies suggest can activate pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. Avoiding these foods may help reduce it.  

Refined carbohydrates - such as white bread, white rice, sugary cereals, pasta and noodles - contribute to the development of type II diabetes, which accelerates the ageing process and, if not controlled, can lead to a wide range of other health problems. 

LOVE IS A CONQUEROR OF EVERYTHING

LOVE IS A CONQUEROR OF EVERYTHING

Dear everyone,

One loving couple walking around the park,
they chat happily,
holding hands and waving them as they walk,
they share their thoughts happily from their smiling faces.

One glance you can see vividly that they are in deep love.
The environment at that time was so peaceful that you can only hear their laughing voice,
so loud and sweet,
where both of them cannot hear anything,
as if they are the only ones existing in their small world.
They are so indulge in their conversations that
they can't hear and see anything other than themselves and their voices.
Their relationship is so intimate that even the breeze is jealous.

Out of sudden the breeze decided to attack them,
It blows against them slightly stronger,
yet the couple does not feel anything.
That annoyed the breeze more and decided to increase its magnitude.
Interesting to note that it still don't keep them apart.
Ironically, they decided to stand firmly at their current location.

This is because they begin to feel that moving forward is near impossible.
As they hugged themselves firmly as one.
That really blew the breeze up.
Every time it increase its magnitude,
They response in much stronger proportion than the magnitude of the breeze.

That makes the breeze even annoyed as it fails to set them apart.
When they begin to realize the coolness of the breeze has penetrated into their bodies,
They response to it very positively by hugging each other so tightly as one, so as to keep themselves safe and also not to let the breeze freeze them.

To remain in control over the situation,
They stay focus as one united body.
With one united body, heart and soul,
and their magic hands touch their bodies that sparks the burning flame that
respond naturally, in much greater contrast than the magnitude of the breeze.
With the contrasting result the breeze obtained,
it leaves it no choice, but to give up its hope to fight the losing war.
As a result, the breeze decided to withdraw its attack.

They then realize that they are not frozen as the breeze stop.
They then realize their LOVE is so powerful
that let them conquer the war.

Such an incident makes them recognize the truth that Love
conquer anything and everything.
This is another affirming case of this truth since Day one of mankind's history.
However, it needs to refresh and condition us of this truth.
This is the reason why I blog this short story to this effect.

Hope you not only enjoy reading this inspiring article,
but put it  in practice in your daily lives.
Through practice, it will then sink into our minds and hearts.
Through embracing LOVE mindset, then everything will then turn beautifully.
If we want it to be a reality, then act now.
Change ourselves first, before changing the world.

Love is conqueror of anything and everything.
This truth is never change and stay permanently in the universe.
Through love, everything and anything can be conquered effortlessly.
This is universal truth in the past, present and future.
In short,forever.
So, let Love create a better world for us.
 

 James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

THANK U FOR LOVING ME (VIDEO)

WIND OF CHANGE ( VIDEO)

POEM - EMBRACE UNCERTAIN MINDSET

EMBRACE UNCERTAIN MINDSET

Change is unavoidable, so is uncertainty.

Uncertainty is a permanent part of our lives.

No surprise that we rarely say that we are certain.

Despite some times we are certain.

Life is a choice.

As such, we are consistently called to make decisions,

directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly.

That is reality

yet we are constantly making these decisions with limited intelligence.

It is the truth,

yet most of the times, we refuse to accept it.

We are always naive and do not submit to this truth.

Is it because of our pride ?

or is it of something else.

We can never find the answer,

unless we learn to embrace the fact of not knowing everything.

Even the great leaders lead without knowing it all.

Great leaders do not eliminate uncertainty, but learn to navigate through it.

Great leaders lead despite the shadows of uncertainty.

Great leaders recognize that clarity of vision is more important than certainty of the outcome.

Every day, we are expected to make decisions regarding our business, our relationships, our marketing, our ideas, and our strategies.

These decisions are made even though we don’t always have the answers.

I guess this is life.

If we knew everything that was going to happen, we would not need to experience it.

Without such an experience,

There would be nothing to attain, achieve or acquire.

One thing is certain.

Whether you have been and what you have done in the past.

Where we are going is always new, and most often uncertain.

As such, what is the point of worrying of the future.

Just take it as it comes.

Live your life and enjoy every moment of it.

To live, we need to lead within.

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

GREEN THROUGH NATURAL BEAUTY

Behold, our Creator is a great artist! Beautiful indeed! The nature is full of His glory.

花雨瀑布 When flowers rain a waterfall Subject: Wisteria in Japan...日本紫藤 Subject: Wisteria in Japan...日本紫藤

 

Nature has its own way of expression beyond imagination. Amazing!

KPI - DEFINE AND MEASURE PROGRESS TOWARDS GOALS

Hi! Friends,

Key Performance Indicators, also known as KPI or Key Success Indicators (KSI), is used significantly to present or identify a few factors that organisations should focus on to be successful. This is because they serve as a powerful and meaningful tool to define and measure the progress of their pre-set goals. As such, the key impetus for using KPI was the notion that factors which get measured are more likely to be achieved versus factors which are not measured. Hence, I decided to bring it into our today's discussion, with the hope that you too equip yourself with this tool.

A) Definition
i) What Does Key Performance Indicators (KPI )Mean?

A set of quantifiable measures that a company or industry uses to gauge or compare performance in terms of meeting their strategic and operational goals. KPIs vary between companies and industries, depending on their priorities or performance criteria.


ii) Investopedia explains Key Performance Indicators

A company must establish its Strategic and Operational goals and then choose the KPIs which best reflect those goals.

For example, if a software company's goal is to be the fastest growing company in its industry, its main performance indicator may be the measure of annual revenue growth. You may find some KPIs in some annual reports. Also, KPIs are often refer to as the Industrial Standards, in that particular sector.

As usual, once an organization has formed its mission, identified all its stakeholders, and defined its goals, a useful tool to measure its progress toward those goals is required. And Key Performance Indicators come in to the picture, to play the role like  measuring tapes.

B) Characteristics
The Key Performance Indicators selected must best reflect the organization's goals, they must be key to its success,and they must be quantifiable (measurable). Key Performance Indicators usually are long-term considerations.

I will discuss these three main issues in more depth:-

a)Key Performance Indicators must be in quantifiable measurements.
An organisation may have chosen the percentage of its income that comes from return customers as KPI. A school may focus its Key Performance Indicators on graduation rates of its students.

b) Reflect The Organizational Goals

A company has one of its goals "to be the most profitable company in our industry" will have Key Performance Indicators such as "Pre-tax Profit" and "Shareholder Equity" that measure its profit.

On the other hand, a school which is not concerned of making profit, will chose different  Key Performance Indicators. KPIs like "Graduation Rate" and "Success In Finding Employment After Graduation", precisely reflect the school's mission and goal.

c) Must Be Quantifiable and Measurable

In order for it to function, Key Performance Indicator must be translated into meaningful ratios or percentage or value, which accurately define its goal, that can be quantifiable and measurable. To make this point clearer, just take an example of a KPI such as "Be The Most Popular Company". You can see it is not clear and very subjective because there is no way to measure the company's popularity or compare it to others.

Another good example we can look at, is a general goal such as "Generate More Repeated Customers", is meaningless because it does not distinguish between new and repeat customers.

Once the Key Performance Indicators is defined, it is good to use them constantly throughout the years so that you can measure them over a longer period. To make it more meaningful, you may consider whether to breakdown into KPI components. For example a KPI of "Increase Sales", you need to consider whether to break down into units sold or dollar value of sales.

Further considerations, as append below, may need to be considered on Good Returns or discount

 i) whether it needs to be deducted from sales in the month of the sales or the month of the returns?

 ii) whether sales needs to be recorded at list price or at the actual sales price?

It is also a good practice to use your pre- set targets, as your benchmark, for each Key Performance Indicator.

d) Must be Key To Organizational Success

KPIs must be slected from those Critical Factors that are essential to the organization reaching its goals. It may be good to keep the number of KPIs small so as to keep everyone's attention focused on achieving the same KPIs. KPIs should not be easily achievable, 

It must be stressed that what is important here is that the KPIs must help the company to meet its overall objective.

Trust the above discussion have given you a good understanding of its concept and application.

Please feel free to share your view/ thought in this issue. Thanks and look forward to hearing from you.

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

FREEDOM OF INFO BILL

FREEDOM OF INFO BILL

In line with the motto, "Aim for the Impossible, (which you can view it by clicking at the title of this post), another milestone has been made in the recent bill, the freedom of information bill, which was passed without debate. This great news was reported by Mr. Teh Eng Hock on his article, Selangor passes freedom of info Bill, State assembly approves enactment without debate after third reading on the Star on April 2, 2011. Thanks to Mr Teh for doing Malaysians a great favour of highlighting the landmark decision of Selangor. The state had put the so much talked transparency into practice The state government affair is thus  recognising and appreciating the people's power. This best practice should be truly welcomed and cultivated into our daily affairs should we truly want to bring progress to the country.

I viewed this move very positively as it not only makes the executive more transparent, but also more accountable to the people, who had voted for them in the first place. This seal the contract between both parties in law where they are liable to discharge their duties with due care. As such, I believe majority of the people will welcome it, which is the way to establish ABC (Trustworthy, Clean and Efficient) government, which was the motto sang by our previous PM. As such, the ruling party should be happy because the opposition is affirming their slogan and put them into action. We need to realise the drama, it has proven that the point that Malaysians have short memory is not true. It also reaffirms that we are serious about our slogan and we will put into practice as we preach so as to establish ABC government.Although it is a bit late to embark, after more than 50 years independence. At least, it is still better to be late, rather than never. Therefore, all the wake up calls that has been made so far is not wasted, but takes effect NOW. LONG Lives Malaysia. Needless to say that only changes will give different results and we don't need a genius to tell us that you don't expect different result by doing the same way like in the past.

It was also reported that the state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong, who tabled the bill, claimed that it was a historic point for Selangor and Malaysia. To Malaysian, we should see the light now and view it as a turning point to make things right so as to create a better place for its people. Another commendable point is that, such a bill was passed without debate. It shows that all parties have put aside their political differences and voted for it. Such a healthy move is worthy of praise as every MP has taken the peoples' interest above everything. In short, they give full respect to the hand who voted them in the first place. Hope that such an healthy move would occur more frequently in the near future.

According to the report, she told the House that no other state has dared to implement the Freedom of Information Enactment. This is a product of the people's power. 

In this connection, we should give more courage to other states, which have not been able to do so due to whatsoever reason they know best, so that they can overcome fear/doubt to effect the same move. Otherwise, how could we expect them to do so. To accept any change, one has to have an open mind and heart. If not, one can never learn.

As such, we appeal all other states to evaluate objectively and make the necessary changes so that they can bring progress to its people.

By doing so, we hope all parties will manage their resources more efficiently and effectively so as not to tax the people unnecessarily. Otherwise, the inflationary pressure will increase and the bankruptcy threat will ultimately affect Malaysia as predicted by Dato Seri Jala. 

To eliminate this threat, this freedom of information will serve as a tool to ensure there are no unnecessary wastages. More conducive environment will be created to attract Malaysia talents to come back and serve the country.

Let us examine ourselves closely and objectively. Let our conscience  show us the way, and move on. Thanks for your precious time to read this article to show you care.

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

GREEN SCHOOL IN BALI, INDONESIA

Welcome to the green school in Bali, Indonesia. It provides its students with an education about the amazing environment that we live in. It is a holistic and relevant education. During the construction, only bamboo, elephant grass and clay were used. Cement was used just in some places in the foundation. The central and the most important building is the "heart of the school." It is perhaps the largest building in the world built entirely from bamboo. Its dimensions are 18 meters high and 64 meters long. General area of the school includes a variety of structures: apartment buildings, classrooms, office building, and cafes. The school gets electricity from environmentally friendly sources of energy: hydraulic turbine generators and installed solar panels. It seems that considering the way we are polluting the earth, everyone should attend.