Partylicious WOW

its AUG already..

2010-08-01T21:45:00.003+08:00

the first day of aug.. i "work" for future MIL. its good bonding time altogether.

14 more days before Benito is back. counting down.

till date, still no one drop a "hi".. hmm, seems like Partylicious WOW has been forgotten.

back to Youtube with Sammi.. LOVE MI. c'iao!

Phew.. !

2010-07-31T15:11:00.002+08:00

phew!! i almost can't login to this page anymore. seems like i've been missing for months and perhap YEAR! I FORGOT MY PW AND USER ID! all i can do is to try desperately.. try and try. i remembered that this account was created by Banana when my previous account hit the quota, she gave me a PW which i did not change thereafter, thinking i will remember it forever. lucky.. after trying all ways and means, i managed to get the PW reset. The security question is "how are you?" but what is the answer to this question? think only Banana knows, if she can recall still.

well.. after so long, i managed to start reading the blogs of my fav SH girls. remembering last time during BHD days, blogging was so IN then. seems that everyone has been blogging diligently even Aw! LOL! AH WOW is back in action. hopefully no more empty promise this time round.

wonder if my "blog fans" are still around?

pls drop me a "hi" in my chatbox to show your support ya!

Luke says HELLO!

2009-06-05T16:26:00.000+08:00

Godmamas... Good morning! How are u today?

TKT REunion 2009

2009-05-30T15:15:00.006+08:00

every year TKT will make it a point to gather everyone for a reunion dinner nearer CNY! this year's organiser, Dennis suggested a buffet style dinner at his condo function room on 10 Jan 09.. slightly different from previous two years where we held the dinner in restaurants with everyone sitting in different tables. his objective is for everyone to mingle and catchup with one another. great initiative but no lucky draw this year! also sadly to say, some members were missing due to some stupid misunderstandings.. CHEERS FOR A BETTER TKT NEXT YEAR!!

Dennis, the busy man..

LAO YU SHENG for a HUAT HUAT 2009!

youngest TKT member

some efforts got to be done to bring those crazy days back again..

where were all those weekly KTV, chillz, lim lim lim and hardcore parties??

the X mas 2008

2009-05-30T02:22:00.019+08:00

the X mas celebrations started as early as ~

19Dec.. Timbre cooling chill & hottie party @ Butter Factory!

after Boon's stupid faced blink!

tata* changed into Party Outfit for Butterrr..

bayee & gang joined in the fun.. he was pretty drunk by then!

is it obvious??

Thanks for the great company!

20 Dec.. churchy X mas gathering at the Tattoo's homie

new game.. SABOteur

pressies!

love the simplicity..

more pressies!

from Uncle Steven

Cheryl Anne

Xin

Banana

Sister Jam

22 Dec.. decade frens celebrating decade X mas together every year w/o failed!

more pressies

my warmie boxie from ML

25 Dec.. BBCO lunchie! fun with my new colleagues!

26 Dec.. Boxing Day @ ECP

sinful after a great workout!

28 Dec.. Brunch @ Paulaner!

lotsa salmon sashimi!

the brunch crews

MERRRY chRisTmAs 2008!!!!!

Virgin Wakey Boarding..

2009-05-30T01:18:00.007+08:00

221108.. here we are at Punggol Marina for our virgin wakey board!

Jem.. the pro!

Edwin's stun

jus tan

Bayee.. the hairy cat

nice weather

50 cents nip nip

WOW standing..

steamy dinner for the steamy day..

Batam Getaway 2008

2009-05-30T00:47:00.009+08:00

a short getaway from 10-11Oct..

setting off!

the attendance

Harris looked fine.. but indeed SUX

after some drama mama hoohaa with this asshole..

we CHANGED hotel to Holiday Inn

an apartment suite!

checking outta the spa..

missing A&W found!

grocery shopping..

933 seafood

nite SPA time..

beer and snacks.. just chillz

mask time!

gang game..

nice resort!

stoned peeps

smelly headed rangers

GO!

lunch before return back to Singapuraaaaland

heart* him

for the past 9 mths..

2009-05-29T23:09:00.014+08:00

two of my decade friends became "MRS"!

14 Sept 2008: ROM of Tony & Kit

29-30 Nov 2008: Jordan & ML's Wedding!

"CONGRATS MRS LIM !!!

CONGRATS MRS CHANG!!!"

to be continued..

dont know where to start..

2009-05-29T20:39:00.013+08:00

SERIOUSLY been missing from blogger for nearly 9 mths! and now im determined and ready to continue.. WOWAHAHA TRUST ME! but dont know where to start.. HOW?

well.. i think i need to refer to one of my previous post where i promised to continue.. so what happened after that bowl of porridge of love from jillz??

5 Sept marked the day that i finally moved on and outta of the "madhouse"!

my official CERT from my 881 sista!

following by series of surprises and treats..

lunchie at Thai Xpress

shopping spree.. everything paid for!

Ezan came to bid goodbye

lucky charm from Carol Babe!

and more farewell pressies from colleagues..

because of a stupid GM presentation held on the same day.. i didnt get to send out the farewell messages to everyone! sorry to all. all i could say now was "i do miss those madhouse days and everyone!"

unexpected surprises and effort from..

THEM!

they made an effort to organise a farewell supper for me! its was quite late after my school and jane insisted to meet me. i felt so bad that she had to bring Matt all the way to HV (which was the nearest chill out place to my school) to catchup with me.. so when i managed to rush down! i saw them! so touched! all waiting for me.. simple yet nice chill! I HEART U ALL. tho this was a late post.. super late one. i believe it was never late to say "THANK YOU!"

to be continued..

i miss blogging..

2009-04-23T12:17:00.002+08:00

as i read through my past posts.. i really miss blogging.. it feels good to recap those sweet, sour, spicy or even bitter moments.. those stupid, silly stuffs done. really good!

HAPPY CNY LUKE LUKE!

2009-02-01T18:08:00.000+08:00

happy moo moo year!

2009-01-27T23:56:00.003+08:00

time for a fresh list of new resolutions. the last one that i did was like 3 years ago?

checkoutta my proud achievements:

1. car license.. $2.5k. 8mths.

2. degree.. $22k. 2.5years.

3. lotssa holidays.. many short ones tho but truely enjoyed.

4. better job with better pay.. 40% more.

2009's resolutions!

1. braces

2. lasik

3. more holidayyyys.. long and far one.

4. more savings

5. my very owned car! 1.6L will do.

how many of them will i fulfil?

work hard! work hard!

2009 will be a ROCKING GOOD YEAR!!

2009-01-01T23:29:00.004+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

HAPPY 2009!!

CHEERS TO MY NEW YEAR RESOLUTION!!!

yes.. it will be a rocking good year!

happy like fcuk!!

2008-11-04T21:49:00.005+08:00

i wana shoutta: "im happy! happy! happy like fcuk!"

SM indiv - PASSED!

GM group - HD! 40/50!

thanks to all my group mates for hard works, late nights and overnights! thanks Mr Jason Luke - Boss of Hwa Xia!

thanks AW for providing us with the HK info!

exams finally over.. hope no more!

i just want to my "square hat"!

ITS PARRRTYYYYY TIME!

my sweat and tears for SM exam!

2008-11-02T00:55:00.030+08:00

Q1: Discuss, using examples, the resources view of the firm.

ANS:

The Resource-Based Model of above-average returns assumes that:

Each organisation is a collection of unique resources and capabilities.
The strategy the firm chooses should allow it to use its resources and capabilities to gain a competitive advantages in an attractive industry to earn above-average returns.

1. Identify the firm's resources by studying the strengths and weaknesses compared with those of the competitors.

Resources are inputs into a firm's product process, such as capital equipment, skills of individual employees, patents, finances and talented managers.
In general, a firm's resources are classified into three categories: physical, human and organisation capital.
They have a greater likelihood of being a source of competitive advantage when they are formed into a capability.

2. Determine the firm's capabilities which allows the firm to do better than its competitors.

Capability is the capacity for a set of resources to perform a task or an activity in an integrative manner.
Capability should not be so simple that it is highly imitable or so complex that it defies internal steering and control.

3. Determine the potential of the firm's resources and capabilities in term of a competitive advantage.

Core competencies are resources and capabilities that serve as a source of competitive advantage for a firm over its rival.
The potential is realised when resources and capabilities are valuable, rare, costly to imitate and non-substitutable.

4. Locate an attractive industry.

An attractive industry is an industry with opportunities that can be exploited by the firm's resources and capabilities.

5. Select a strategy that best allows the firm to ultilise its resources and capabilities relative to opportunities in the external environment.

Strategy formulation and implementation are strategic actions taken to earn above-average returns.

The five steps above will result in earning above-average returns.

EXAMPLE:

After the merger of StarHub and Singapore Cable Vision (SCV) in year 2002, this gave the firm the resources and capabilities to launch its unique hubbing packages as its major competitive edge.

Q2: Discuss, using examples, the Industrial Organisation view of the firm.

ANS:

The Industrial Organisation (I/O) Model of above-average returns specifies that the industry in which a firm competes has a stronger influence on the performance than the choices manager make inside their organisations.

The determinants of a firm's performance are economies of scale, barriers to market entry, diversification, product differentiation and degree of concentration of firms in the industry.

The I/O Model assumes that:

The external environment imposes pressures and constraints that determine strategies leading to above-average returns.
Most firms competing in an industry control similar strategically relevant resources and pursue similar strategies.
Resources used to implement strategies are highly mobile across firms.
Organisational decision-makers are assumed to be rational and committed to acting in the firm's best interests such as profit maximising.

1. Study the external environment such as general environment, industry environment and competitor environment.

2. Locate an industry with high potential for above-average returns.

An attractive industry is an industry whose structural characteristics suggest above-average returns.

3. Identify and formulate the strategy called for by the attractive industry to earn above average returns.

4. Develop or acquire assets and skills needed to implement the strategy.

5. Use the firm's strengths to implement the strategy.

Strategy implementation is the selections of strategic actions linked with effective implementation of a chosen strategy.

The above five steps will result in earning of above-average returns.

EXAMPLE:

As the market of telecommunication industry in Singapore is saturated, SingTel adopted the acquisition strategy to acquire Optus in order to expand into the Australian market.

Q3: Discuss, using examples, the following two forces in the industry environment: power of suppliers and power of buyers.

ANS:

The industry environment is the set of factors that directly influences a firm and its competitive actions and competitive response.

The five forces that influence the industry environment are:

Threat of new entrants
Bargaining power of suppliers
Bargaining power of buyers
Threat of product substitutes
Intensity of rivalry among competitors

The interactions among these five factors determine an industry's attractiveness and profit potential. The greater a firm's capacity to favourably influence its industry environment, the likelihood that the firm will earn above-average returns.

In this case, the bargaining power of suppliers and the bargaining power of buyers will be discussed.

Bargaining power of suppliers:

Increasing prices and reducing the quality of their products are potential means used by suppliers to exert power over firms competing within the an industry.

Supplier power increases when:

Suppliers are large and few in number
Satisfactory substitute products are not available
Industry firms are not a significant customer for the supplier
Suppliers' goods are critical to buyers' marketplace success
Suppliers' products create high switching costs
Suppliers pose a threat to integrate forward into buyers' industry

EXAMPLE:

In the pharmaceutical industry, supplier such as Pfizer is large and few in number. Satisfactory substitute products are not available as Pfizer is the only company that supplies its patented product - Viagra. Thus, the industry firms are not a significant customer for Pfizer. As a monopoly, Pfizer's Viagra are critical to buyers' marketplace access and it creates a high switching costs for buyers. In addition, Pfizer pose a threat to integrate forward into buyers' industry by providing highly differentiated products. As a result, Pfizer has a higher bargaining power as a supplier.

Bargaining power of buyers:

Buyers want to buy products at the lowest possible price. In order to reduce their costs, buyers bargain for higher quality, greater levels of services and lower prices.

Buyer power increases when:

Buyers are large and few in number
Buyers purchase large portion of an industry's total output
Buyers' purchase are a significant portion of a supplier's annual revenues
Buyers can switch to another product without incurring high switching costs
Buyers pose a threat to integrate backward into sellers' industry

EXAMPLE:

Buyers such as NTUC Fairprices and Watsons are large and few in number in their respective industries. They purchase large portion of an industry's total output which are a significant portion of the suppliers' annual revenues. As the stores of both NTUC Fairprices and Watsons carry a variety of merchandise lines and brands, they can easily switch to another product without incurring high switching costs. In addition, both of the companies pose a threat to integrate backward into the sellers' industry by launching their private label brands. Thus as buyers, their bargaining power will be high.

Q4: Describe, using examples, the impact of barriers to entry on firms in the industry environment.

ANS:

The industry environment is the set of factors that directly influences a firm and its competitive actions and competitive response.

The five forces that influence the industry environment are:

Threat of new entrants
Bargaining power of suppliers
Bargaining power of buyers
Threat of product substitutes
Intensity of rivalry among competitors

In this case, the barriers to entry under threats of new entrants will be discussed.

Barriers to entry:

Barriers to entry makes it difficult for new firms to enter the industry and place them at a competitive disadvantage. High barriers of entry increase the returns for existing firms in the industry and may allow some of them to dominate the industry.

Below are the kinds of potentially significant entry barriers:

Economies of scale - The incremental improvements in efficiency through experience as a firm increases in size.

EXAMPLE:

As the quantity of the Toyota's car produced during a given period increases, the cost of manufacturing each unit declines. Increasing of economies of scale enhances the firm's flexibility and Toyota's cars are now made affordable when the firm reduce its price to capture a greater share of the market. Hence, as economies of scale increases, the barriers to entry will be higher.

Product Differentiation - Customers valuing a product's uniqueness tend to become loyal to both the product and the company producing it.

EXAMPLE:

The effective advertising campaigns for The Body Shop let the consumers aware of its core value of Against Animal Testing. This creates an uniqueness to its products and establishes a group of loyal customers for the firm. Hence, as the product differentiation is higher, the barriers to entry will be more tedious.

Capital Requirement - Competing in a new industry requires a firm to have resources to invest.

EXAMPLE:

In order to compete in the banking industry with big players such as Citibank and HSBC, it requires the firms to have substantial resources and capital to invest in the physical facilities, inventories, marketing activities and other critical business functions. Hence, high capital requirement creates higher barriers to entry.

Switching costs - This is a one-time costs customers incur when they buy from a different supplier.

EXAMPLE:

When a StarHub customer switches the mobile service provider to SingTel, he will lose his Hubbering benefits of getting discounts off his broadband (MaxOnline) and pay TV (Cable TV) services. Hence when the switch costs are high, the barriers of entry will be high.

Access to distribution channels - Once a relationship with its distributors has been developed, a firm will nurture it to create switching costs for the distributors.

EXAMPLE:

In a grocery store where the shelf space is limited, F&N provides fridge and give cooperative allowances to the store owner to sell its can drinks. Hence, if the access to distribution channels is low, the barriers to entry will be high.

Cost disadvantage independent of scale - Established competitors have cost advantages that new entrants cannot duplicate.

EXAMPLE:

ST Aerospace gains its cost advantages such as government subsidies, proprietary technology and favourable access to raw material to supply aircrafts to the Air Force in Singapore. Hence, the cost advantage independent of scale will create high barriers to entry.

Government policy - Through licensing and permit requirements, local government can control entry into an industry.

EXAMPLE:

MediaCorp is a monopoly in free-to-air TV in Singapore. The government restricts entry into the TV broadcasting industry so as to ensure that quality service is provided. Hence, the higher in the control of government policy, the barriers to entry will be tedious.

Expected retaliation - Firms seeking to enter an industry will need to anticipate the reactions of the firms in the industry.

EXAMPLE:

Petrona, the largest petroleum company in Malaysia, anticipate its difficulties in entering the Singapore petroleum industry as major local players such as Shell and Esso are expected to retaliate vigorously. Hence, the higher the expected retaliation, the higher the barriers to entry.

Q5: Discuss, using examples, the characteristics of core competencies.

ANS:

Core competencies are capabilities that serve as a source of competitive advantage for a firm over its rival.

It emerge over time through an organisational process of accumulating and learning how to deploy different resources and capabilities.

A capability becomes a core competency only when it is:

Valuable - help a film neutralise threats and exploit opportunities
Non-substitutable - no strategic equivalent
Rare - are not possessed by many others
Costly to imitate - historical: a unique and a valuable organisational culture or brand name ; ambiguous cause: the cause and uses of a competence are unclear ; social complexity: interpersonal relationships, trust and friendship among managers, suppliers and customers

EXAMPLE:

The world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company - Pfizer's Viagra is valuable as it helps Pfizer to neutralise threats and exploit opportunities. The product is non-substitutable with no strategic equivalent and is not possessed by many others due to its patent rights. Pfizer goes court to prevent competitors from imitating Viagra. Thus, make it costly to imitate.

Q6: Discuss the factors that influence the likelihood of attack and response in the model of Competitive Dynamics. Using examples to support your answer.

ANS:

Competitive dynamics is the series of actions and responses taken by all firms competing within a market.

1. Likelihood of attack:

In addition to market commonality, resource similarity and the drivers of awareness, motivation and ability, other factors affect the likelihood a competitor will use strategic actions and tactical actions to attack its competitors.

a. First mover incentive

A first mover is a firm that takes an initial competitive action in order to build or defend its competitive advantages or to improve its market position.
First movers allocate funds for product innovation and development, aggressive advertising and advanced research and development.
First movers can gain (1) the loyalty of customers who may become committed to the goods or services of the firm that first made them available and (2) market share that can be difficult for competitors to take during future competitive rivalry.

EXAMPLE:

In the telecommunication industry, StarHub is the first mover to introduce free incoming calls and per second billing to the market.

b. Second mover

Second mover responds to the first mover's competitive action, typically through imitation or a move designed to counter the effects of actions.
Second mover carefully studies the customers reactions to product innovations and tries to find any mistakes that the first mover made so that it can avoid them and the problems they created.
Second mover also have time to develop processes and technologies that are more efficient than those used by the first mover. Great efficiencies could result in lower costs for the second mover.

EXAMPLE:

OSIM launched the first slim belt, OSIM uZap into the market. Following, OTO the second mover launched a similar product known as Trimex.

c. Late mover

Late mover is a firm that responds to a competitive action a significant amount of time after the first mover's action and second mover's response.
Late mover's competitive action allows it to earn only a average returns and delays its understanding of how to create value for customers.

EXAMPLE:

Late mover - MobileOne (M1) launched its broadband service into the market in August 2008, which is several years later than the first mover - SingTel and second mover - StarHub.

d. Organisational size

An organisation's size affects the likelihood that it will take competitive actions as well as the types of actions it will take and their timing.
Small firms are more likely than large companies to launch competitive actions and tend to do it more quickly.
Large firms are likely to imitate more competitive actions along with more strategic actions during a given period.

EXAMPLE:

NTUC Fairprice, a large supermarket retailer commonly have more resources to launch a larger number of total competitive actions as compared to a small family-owned provision shop business in the neighbourhood estate.

e. Quality

Quality exists when the firm's goods or services meet or exceed customers' expectations.
Product quality dimensions include performance, features, flexibility, durability, conformance, serviceability, aesthetics, perceived quality.
Service quality dimensions include timeliness, courtesy, consistency, convenience, completeness and accuracy.

EXAMPLE:

Product: Canon vs Konica Minolta

Service: Singapore Airline vs Malaysia Airline

2. Likelihood of response:

A firm is likely to respond to a competitor's action when:

the action leads to better use of the competitor's capabilities to gain or produce stronger competitive advantages or an improvement in its market position.
the action damages the firm's ability to use its capabilities to create or maintain an advantage.
the firm's market position becomes less defensible.

a. Type of competitive action

Strategic actions receive strategic responses

EXAMPLE:

Burger King launched Big King to counter McDonald's Big Mac.

Tactical response are taken to counter the effect of tactical actions.

EXAMPLE:

Selling Ramly Burger at lower price in the night market is a tactical response.

b. Actor's reputation

An actor is the firm taking an action or a response while reputation is 'the positive or negative attribute ascribed by one rival to another based on past competitive behaviour'.
Actions by market leaders with strong positive reputation often are imitated and gain a rapid response from their competitors.
Actions by firms with reputation for risk-taking and unpredictability are less likely to gain a response from competitors.

EXAMPLE:

Emirates (second mover) launched Airbus A380 to attack Singapore Airline (first mover) by providing better facilities and lower air fares.

c. Market dependence

Market dependence is the extent to which a firm's revenues or profits are derived from a particular market.
Firms can predict that competitors with high market dependence are likely to respond strongly to attacks threatening their market position.

EXAMPLE:

In the movie industry, cinemas like Golden Village, Eng Wah, Shaw and Cathay face threats to piracy.

Q7: Identify and discuss the key characteristics and assumptions of an unrelated diversification strategy.

ANS:

Unrelated Diversification:

Highly diversified firms that have no relationships between businesses are classified as unrelated diversification.
With unrelated diversification strategy, firms cannot transfer core competencies and capabilities to different portfolios. They gain competitive advantage through financial economies.
Value is created through two types of financial economies - (1) efficient internal capital allocations and (2) business restructuring.

1. Efficient internal capital allocation:

Development of a portfolio of businesses with different risk profiles thereby reducing the business risk for the total corporation.
Corporate office distribute capital to business divisions to create value for the overall company. It may have access to more detailed and accurate information than the external capital market.
Internal information which does not have to be revealed may be a source of competitive advantage.
The corporate office can make corrections and changes by adjusting managerial incentives or recommendation strategic changes in a division.
Thus, capital can be allocated according to more specific criteria than in an external market.

2. Restructuring of Assets:

Buying, restructuring and selling businesses in the external market with the intent of increasing the total value of the firm.
Under-performing divisions are often sold and the remaining divisions are placed under the discipline of rigorous financial controls.
Creating financial economies through the purchase of other companies and restructuring their assets requires an understanding of significant trade-offs.
Success usually calls for a focus on mature, low-technology businesses.

Q8: Identify and discuss the key characteristics of a related diversification strategy.

ANS:

Related Diversification:

When more than 30% of a firm's sales volume is outside its dominant business and its businesses are related, it is classified as related diversification.
The reasons for related diversification strategy is to gain (1) economies of scope and (2) market power.

1. Economies of Scope:

With related diversification firms build upon their resources and capabilities to create value and seeks to exploit economies of scope between business units.
Economies of scope are cost savings attributed to transferring the capabilities and competencies developed in one business to a new business.
Value is created from economies of scope through (a) operational relatedness and (b) corporate relatedness.

a. Operational Relatedness: Sharing Activities

Sharing activities requires strategic control over business units.
It is risky because ties between the business units create links between outcomes.
Primary and support activities can be shared efficiently.

b. Corporate Relatedness: Transferring Core Competencies

Corporate core competencies are complex sets of resources and capabilities that link different businesses, primarily through managerial and technological knowledge, experience and expertise.
Intangible resources are the foundation of corporate core competencies.
Transferring intangible resources requires appropriate coordination mechanisms to gain economies of scope.
Corporate relatedness eliminates resources duplication by spreading corporate competencies across business units, which may then lead to a competitive advantage.

2. Market Power

Market power exists when a firm is able to sell its products above the existing competitive level or reduce the costs if its primary and support activities below the competitive level, or both.
Two corporate approaches to gaining market power are (a) multi-point competition and (2) vertical integration.

a. Multi-point Competition

Two or more diversified firms competing in the same products areas or geographic markets.
Multi-point competition will not create potential gains when there is excessive competitive activity. Mutual forbearance is said to occur when firms create value by engaging in less competitive rivalry.

b. Vertical Integration

Exists when a firm produces its own inputs (backward integration) or owns its source of distribution of outputs (forward integration).
A firm pursuing vertical integration usually is motivated to strengthen its position in its core business by gaining market power over competitors.

Q9: What is agency theory? How does an agency relationship affect control in a business?

ANS:

An agency relationship exists when one or more persons (principal or principals) hire another person or persons (agent or agents) as decision-making specialists to perform a service.

Problems of agency relationships:

Principal and agent have different interests, and the separation of ownership and control provides potential for divergent interests to surface.
Shareholders lack direct control of large publicly traded corporations.
Problems also arise when the agent makes decisions resulting in the pursuit of goals that conflict with those of the principal.
The principal establishes governance and control mechanisms. It remains difficult or expensive for the principal to verify that the agent has behaved appropriately.
The agent sometimes exercises managerial opportunism.
Managerial opportunism prevents the maximisation of shareholder wealth.

Q10: Resources, Incentives and Managerial Motives act as catalyst for diversification. Discuss, using examples, two of these.

*** give up!!!!!!

Q11: Identify the five main corporate governance mechanisms. Discuss, using examples, two of these mechanisms as they relate to strategy implementation.

ANS:

The five main corporate governance mechanisms are:

Ownership concentration
Board of Directors (BOD)
Executive Compensation
Market for Corporate Control
Managerial Defence Tactics

In this case, two of the mechanisms above should be discussed.

Board of Directors

Board of Directors is a group of elected individuals whose primary responsibility is to act in the owners' interested by formally monitoring and controlling the corporation's top-level executives.
The board has the power to direct the affairs of the organisation, punish and reward managers and protect the rights and interests of shareholders.
There are three classifications of the board members - insiders which is made up of the firm's CEO and other top-level managers, related outsiders who are individuals not involved with the firm's day-to-day operations but have a relationship with the firm and lastly the outsiders which consists of individuals who are independent of the firm's day-to-day operations and other relationships.

To enhance the effectiveness of the boards and directors, it is important to:

have a more diversity in the backgrounds of boards members
stronger internal management and accounting control systems
more formal processes to evaluate the board's performance
more collaborative working and open debate
appointing a reasonable numbers of outsiders
ensuring directors have an ownership stake through share holdings

EXAMPLE:

The board of StarHub comprises 13 directors of which 12 of them are non-executive and independent of the management. The executive director, Mr Steven Terrell Clontz is the CEO. There is a strong independent element in the board as there are six non-executive independent directors which is within the meaning of the code. There is a clear separation of roles and responsibilities between the Chairman and CEO which enables the company to maintain an effective balance of power, authority and responsibility with the company, and to ensure accountability and board independence.

The board is supported by key board committees to provide independent oversight of management. The board committees are the Audit Committee (AC), the Executive Resource and Compensation Committee (ERCC), the Nominating Committee (NC) and Strategy Committee (SC).

The AC assists the board in fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities relating to internal controls, financial and accounting matters and reporting practices of the Group. The ERCC oversees the remuneration policies for directors and key executives and the leadership development of the Group. The NC reviews and assesses the nominations for the appointment, re-appointment or re-election of directors. The SC support and advise the management and board in the formulation and review of the Group's strategies for achieving growth in shareholder value.

The board comprises business leaders with broad and diverse experience (both domestically and internationally) and professionals with financial, banking, accounting, regulatory, industry and management expertise. Each director brings to the board valuable insights and objective perspectives that enable balanced and well-considered decisions to be made, and a robust exchange of ideas and views to help shape strategic directions.

Executive Compensation

Executive compensation is a governance mechanism that seeks to align the interests of managers and owners through salaries, bonuses and long-term incentive compensation such as stock awards and options.
The use of longer term pay helps firms cope with or avoid potential agency problems by linking managerial wealth to the wealth of common shareholders. Because of this, the stock market generally reacts positively to the introduction of a long-range incentive plan for top executives.
Long-term incentives will allow the proper implementation of strategy to ensure that top executives will act in the shareholders' best interests.

EXAMPLE:

In StarHub, the compensation of the CEO and the senior management consist of a base salary, allowances, performance-related bonus, benefits in-kind and share awards. Non-executive directors' remuneration consists of directors' fees based on the approved Directors' Fee policy and share awards.

Q12: Compare and contrast two of the multi-divisional structure options for diversified companies.

ANS:

There are three variations of the multi-divisional structure:

Cooperative form - a structure in which horizontal integration is used to bring about interdivisional cooperative.
Strategic Business Unit (SBU) form - consists of three levels - corporate headquarters, SBUs, SBU divisions.
Competitive form - offers complete independence among the firm's divisions.

Compare & contrast:

1. Strategy used

Cooperative form: related constrained strategy

SBU form: related-linked strategy

Competitive form: unrelated diversification strategy

2. Centralisation of operations

Cooperative form: centralised at corporate office

SBU form: partially centralised (in SBUs)

Competitive form: decentralised to divisions

3. Use of integration mechanisms

Cooperative form: extensive

SBU form: moderate

Competitive form: non-existent

4. Divisional performance appraisals

Cooperative form: emphasise subjective (strategic) criteria

SBU form: use a mixture of subjective (strategic) and objective (financial) criteria

Competitive form: emphasise objective (financial) criteria

5. Divisional incentive compensation

Cooperative form: linked to overall performance

SBU form: mixed linkage to corporate, SBU and divisional performance

Competitive form: linked to divisional performance

Q13: Identify the three factors that affect Managerial Discretion. Discuss the role two of these factors play.

ANS:

The three factors that affect Managerial Discretion are:

External environment - such as the industry structure, the rate of market growth in the firm's primary industry and the degree to which products can be differentiated
Characteristic of the organisation - including its size, age, resources and culture
Characteristics of the manager - including commitment to the firm and its strategic outcomes, tolerance for ambiguity, skills in working with different people and aspiration levels.

Manager's decisions are greatly depend on whether the organisation is large or small, earlier stage or later stage of the firm's life cycle and culture of the organisation (clan, adaptability, mission or bureaucratic). Different strategy matches different characteristic of the organisation.
Different manager's characteristics are different. If the manager has leadership qualities, the decision made by him would create value for the film. However, if the skills could not create value for the firm, the firm may remain stagnate and lose its competitive advantage.
Because strategic leaders' decisions are intended to help the firm gain a competitive advantage, how managers exercise the discretion when determining appropriate strategic actions is critical to the firm's success.

Q14: How do to management teams contribute to the strategic performance of an organisation? How does heterogeneity or homogeneity potentially impact on this performance?

ANS:

Top Management Team:

The top management team is composed of the key managers who are responsible for selecting and implementing the firm's strategies.
To guard against CEO over-confidence and poor strategic decisions, firms often use the top management team to consider strategic opportunities and problems and to make strategic decisions.
The quality of the strategic decisions made by a top management team affects the firm's ability to innovate and engage in effective strategic change.

Heterogeneous Top Management Team:

A heterogeneous top management team is composed of individuals with different functional backgrounds, experience and education.
It promotes debate, which often leads to better strategic decisions, producing higher firm performance. (disadvantage of homogenous)
The more heterogeneous and larger the top management team is, the more difficult it is for the team to effectively implement strategies. Comprehensive and long-term strategic plans can be inhabited by communication difficulties among top executives who have different backgrounds and different cognitive skills. (advantage of homogenous)
To resolve this issue, communication among diverse top management team members can be faciliated through electronic communications, sometime reducing the barriers before face-to-face meetings.

Q15: There are two approaches to corporate venturing. Discuss these using examples to illustrate your answer.

ANS:

The two approaches to corporate venturing are:

1. Autonomous strategic behaviour is a bottom-up process in which product champions pursue new ideas, often through a political process, by means of which they develop and coordinate the commercialisation of a new good or service until it achieves success in the marketplace.

EXAMPLE:

Intel's transformation from Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) to Microprocessor Unit (MPU) maker, which was achieved not by a top management decision but by the middle management.

2. Induced strategic behaviour is a top-down process whereby the firm's current strategy and structure foster product innovations that are associated closely with that strategy and structure.

EXAMPLE:

Johnson & Johnson's top management uses its profit planning system interactively to focus attention on strategic uncertainties related to the development and protection of new products and markets. They re-estimate the predicted effects of competitive tactics and new product roll-outs on their profit plans for the current and following years.

Q16: Describe, using examples, how innovation impacts on competitive advantage.

ANS:

Innovation

Innovation is the process of creating a commercial product from an invention.
It is a mean by which the entrepreneur either creates new wealth-producing resources or endows existing resources with enhanced potential for creating wealth.
Innovation will also be important in renewing your products' life cycle and allows the firm to carve on more opportunities than other competitors.
In reality, innovations are particularly linked to investors' confidence, thereby increasing the price of the firm's stock. Furthermore, innovation may be required to maintain or achieve competitive parity, much less a competitive advantage in many global markets. There must also be enough financial slack to support the pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities.

EXAMPLE:

In the case of Apple's consistent release of newer and upgraded series of the Ipod products, this helps the firm to remain its leadership position in the industry.

- the end -

HAHA.. u must be wondering why im using my blog to do my homework? cos my new macbook does not have MS word!!! damn. well.. my sweat and tears and im depending on these questions to help me pass my SM Exam which is the FINAL ONE LIAO!!!! two nights to finish and one day to digest!! i just cant wait to end this miseryyyyyyyy... counting down to all the hardcore parties awaiting cos i've neglected too many people.. WOW WILL BE BACK SOON!!!!!!!!!

helloooo..

2008-10-31T21:38:00.002+08:00

this MIA was real long.. not wanting to have an empty OCT entry, im back to say a short hellooo. im doing fine now. struggling both exams and new job at the same time. alot to update. back to my paper. one more to go. hopefully.. will be the damn final one!

shoutoutta louda:

"I DONT WANT TO BE A STUDENT ANYMORE!!"

MIRACLE! Jillz made it happen..

2008-09-05T09:28:00.005+08:00

is the magical day 5/9/08 alas! morning wasnt too good. im feeling super tired due to school work. been patronising SIM everyday for the past 4 days till the school closed.. till the security chased us out! yesterday was even worst! no dinner. no drink. we stayed till 1am hunging outside the school! also kena chased! on our way back home in the cab, i asked Dan.. "after we graduated, will u miss these kind of days/shits we went thru?" he replied YES! tho life seems sucky now but overall, its the process that we actually enjoy..

back to today! woke up late. raining. jam at expressway. crowded bus. late for work. super hungry tummy. i feel so pathetic and emo once again. i tot to myself.. why am i so suay even on my last day of work??!! BUT!!

MIRACLE DO HAPPEN!

thanks to my sweetest Jillz. she made it happened!

a bowl of hot hot congee awaiting 30mins for me on my desk as i walked into the office! oh man.. i need food! im desperate for food since i had ate none last night!

she says i did the same thing on her last day that time.. Oh sweet! its really sweet of u baby! my heart melted liao lah! and its my turn to LBS..

our lunch date later! to be continued..

farewell lunchie..

2008-09-03T17:20:00.006+08:00

its been mths since i last saw Cece and her kids!
so sweet of them to come for lunch with me..

the Chong family visit Banana's crib & Kiki before dropping off at PS

Thanks Boss for the lunch treat!

My Paul Paul is sad.. cos he needs more attention & love!

and im sad too.. we love him lots! hope he knows!

the chio chio Kate Cecilia Moss is back!
missing those days bitchin with her. but when she is back, im gone!

time to chill & lets have a TAITAI DAY before both of us are back to the corporate world on 22/9/08! thanks for the effort. love. hugs!

Banana!! pixs at Zouk up! is somewhere out there! hurry hurry checkoutta then!

Visiting Mama C & Baby C..

2008-09-03T15:07:00.006+08:00

020908 at Thomson Medical Centre..
same ward, same room, same bed as Steph's! 527A!
buy 4D! buy 4D!

roses for Mama C and she looks great!

Baby C and her beauty sleep..

Uncle Tony is here too!

Jie Jie Ah WoW! my theory is as long as im not married.. im still a JIE JIE!

nah.. she is AUNTY! ops!

she is very pro in carrying BB now!

missing those pregancy days? faster!

the happy parents

hamper from us..

spot what went wrong here?

the one who placed the order actually got her name spelt wrongly!

my days in madhouse..

2008-09-02T13:27:00.013+08:00

clearing my mails again and found so many past memories of BHD aka madhouse.

we used to be a happy family..

with many pretty girls and a very nice boss..

we were still super chio even when we become aliens!

sometime we went retro..

spot the differences? same crews. same poses

sometime i feel dull..

sometime colours make a difference..

i love to make stupid faces..

even at work..

AW, if u can remember, these are ur masterpieces for my sweet sweet love!

i forgot which one i choose eventually tho..

Jason's pressie! OMG! i look so kuku then! btw, why "Kelly is a DICK"??!! HAHA

sometime coming to work can be a happy thing..

those days when we were young..

when i started blogging.. Banana did this banner for me! sibey chio! i love*

when i fwd this photo to Jillz.. she says she wana LBS! HAHA

when my Benito came to HPC.. he found his lions!

6 years in SH with 4 years in BHD.. i gained lotsa great pals! thats my greatest profit ever! Overall, without the shitty job scope and irritating customers, my days in BHD had been wonderful and of cos.. colourful too!

3 more days.. time to sign off.

BB Charlene says "Hello"!!

2008-09-02T13:23:00.006+08:00

CONGRATS Ricky & Cindy to their official promotion to PAPA & MAMA!

Welcome BB Charlene!

Healthy BB Girl arrived on 2/9/08 at 0823hr

3.005kg little chubby Charlene..

both Cindy and I reckoned that she resembles BB Royston!

soundly asleep..

a mama's love..

its amazingly fast cos "just the other day".. we were hiding in the toilet testing for Cindy's pregnancy.. and now BB Charlene is here! HAHA* see ya later! tata*

THE SUPER COUNTDOWN!

2008-09-01T17:19:00.001+08:00

1 more day! not to my last day in madhouse but to..

BB CHARLENE'S DAY!

2/9/08 is the day that we will see BB Charlene!

Mama Cindy.. are u excited?? tmr u are officially a MAMA!

im super excited loh!!!

DJ Freshade ROX FOREVER!

2008-09-01T10:17:00.012+08:00

30/08/08 at Zouk! Support DJ Freshade!

Taken from my camera. Captions be back soon.

Stolen from Banana..

Banana.. i've uploaded the pixs at my super duber faster speed just for you! faster grab! ya.. u look super chio! WOWHAHAHA!

happy 45mths!

2008-08-30T12:44:00.008+08:00

the 4 days cold war finally ended.

trying our luck. we applied for Senja BTO!

4 rooms. 90sqm.

270808: happy sweet 45!
a nice, cozy dinner. .

just u and me.. and jack..

his mushroom.. my lobster..

French SNAILS!

best garlic bread ever. brings memories..

his steak..

my chicky!

mango ice-cream

made my day..

movie "money no enough 2" follows! really sad. i shagged two tears quietly on his sleeve! luckily he did not notice! maybe he was LBS at the same time too! HAHA!

counting down to my FREEEDOM!! YAHOOooooooOOo!!!

more gatherings.. i love*

2008-08-27T11:13:00.025+08:00

lets start with 22.08.08..
my sincere apologies to BB Luke & Shuyi for missing out your birthday parties!

sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry

sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry
sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry

MY dearest BB Luke's 1st Birthday Party at OCC!

very gigantic 3D Mario Cake!

very ex too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BB!

hope you get well too. love*

Sweetest Shuyi's 21st Birthday party on the same day at Aloha!

HAPPY SWEETEST BIRTHDAY!

our RA show date still on! anyone interested too? haha*

im getting excited lately..

counting down + projects + gatherings more more!

as usual.. project day!

MAC drive thru..

CONGRATS SINGAPORE TABLE TENNIS TEAM!

long-waited proud!

18/8/08: long-waited dinner with Uncle Pat..
this time, we have.. INDONESIAN CUISINE!

4 of us again.. THANKS Uncle for the treat!

19/8/08 - its a TUESDAY = Gelare WAFFLE Day!

the waffle gang!

solely MINE!

WE ARE THE EX-BHD PEEPS!
well.. im the "soon-to-be"!

if you are wondering.. who is FACAI GHOST??

is his last day here too. good luck FA CAI!

my sister's 24th birthday! we had our fav zi-char..

durian for dessert..

the men love..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE NG!

24/8/08: another long-waited belated birthday dinner for QUEK! OMG!! one month late!

MALA HOT POT.. Kit's fav!

the noisy little girl..

happy family..

Quek & her long-waited pressies..

at last.. TKT founders out again!

M.I.A

2008-08-13T19:45:00.016+08:00

once again.. i think im lost in the cyber world.
some past updates. but forgotten which date..

a happy family sunday! but my bro is away in one of the Singapore Jungle and Benito is away in BKK/Vietnam/Dhaka. i dont know where is he physically then?

Dad's craving for loh mee at Amoy St but closed!

this is where i used to live since 1981..

McCallum Street.. middle of Shenton Way

Asia Chamber GONE!

my ah gong's property. 3 levels. we stayed on 2nd floor. 6 bedrooms.

now become 7-Eleven!

growing up..

a last min decision to SINGAPORE FLYER!

5 tixs cost me a BOMB!

machiam going to take airplane!

my excited Papa & Mama

a pix with ah peng papa.

and mummy..

top!

nothing much to do for the half hr ride

just snap and snap..

but is definitely a great quality time spent together..

will be back again for more magnificent views when IR is ready..

$15 for this shot!

Ah Peng saw some hot babes and wana took pixs with them!

HAHA! but scared..

NOW! i can tell everybody:

"I'VE BEEN TO SINGAPORE FLYER!"
cos i believe every Singaporean must go at least once..

8/8/08: a random day at work..

YY's SURPRISE!

yummy tea eggs!

Cindy & Charlene so happy!

all of us agreed that YY made the BEST TEA EGGS!

after project submission, celebration at Villa Bali with lotsa wine and beers except for me with my shirley temple for an important night driver mission!

snatching for food..

all hungry peeps!

the bloated BBBB lips!

007 losers!

all drink!

CHEERS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BBBB DAN & AH BAL SINGH!

09/08/08 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE!

Belated Birthday Gathering for D&D - Diana & Deon!

Here we are back at HOME at Dempsey!

nice lychee & lemongrass mocktail!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIANA & DEON!

night supper at Geylang.

by the way.. YOU TIAO KING had moveeeeed to Lorong 27A!

their tea eggs.. not as yummy as YY's..

its an happy gathering. THANKS Diana for the treat!

this month..

2008-08-12T09:29:00.001+08:00

this month had been very happening.. 7th Mth, National Day, Olympics.. and most importantly, FREEEEEEEEDOM!!!

of cos plus the heavy burden of my projects and lately, a "monster" had been haunting me.. it must be the 7th Mth effect. damn!

i'll be back with more pixs.

posters posters!

2008-08-02T15:41:00.002+08:00

more fond memories found!
posters for parties!

go ahead and say im a garang guni but i really like vintage stuffs!

to be continued..

designer dresses

2008-08-01T17:25:00.002+08:00

today at work, i decided to clear my mails.

On Sat 25/02/2006 5:06 PM, Designer Banana sent out this email. She had designed 4 dresses for me, Jillz, Cherry and Xin. Guess which is mine??

i've found more past memories and i truely enjoy this journey..

i'll be back again.

they wrote..

2008-08-01T13:58:00.004+08:00

was going thru some farewell emails and here they wrote..

Thu 31/07/2008 6:29 PM - From YY
"Bee Cheng, cheng cheng cheng…hehehs…I know this irritates you, I cant’ help but smile and think of it while typing this email NOW. Jus like Jills, you’re always there to offer me advice & making sure I m doing fine. You’ve never disappoint me when I need a pair of listening ears or advice. I’ll bring along your kindness & forgiveness towards people with me. And yeah, I wanna join you BKK trips..hehehs… 加油 for you studies and take care of your health."

Tue 29/07/2008 12:55 AM - From Hor Fun
"Bee Cheng - Ms Thailand!!=D Thks for all the food, including the chwee kueh n also the yummy yummy thailand goodies!! Oh and also thks for the guidance n also help me check stocklist. I know that I may be quite mafan when I ask u questions regarding products when I sit beside u, but thks for bearing with me n also helping me out. Must jia you for studies and also the baby clothes!! Have a fun n exciting marriage soon n must "zao shen gui zi" !! Take care, all the best n have many lotsa fun in Thailand!!=D"

Wed 13/06/2007 3:47 PM - From Jillz
"MJ, miss fashion... i like to call u tat, cos u're always the one to annouce theres Sales or even new stocks at GG5, Bysi or even lill match girl.. i wish to have more parties with you.. shopping or even a supper treat to malaysia.. we can drive lill red picanto there :) Tokyo Drift RETURNS! n yes.. thanks for the delicious chweekueh and porridge for my breakfast.. "

Fri 18/08/2006 9:45 AM - From Cherry
"bee cheng - bc........she ties the best ribbon, whatever will i do next time...........you are bold and candid..........and like you i like honest people........with you i know exactly where i stand whether with words and actions........you never hold grudges and you are carefree.......thank you for bintan and the other birthdays that you celebrated with me.........thank you for the well meaning advise and kindness you have shown me..........you are someone who knows her own mind.........has a strong sense of identity that i notice you never get swayed into the game of comparison.........i think thats really neat "

lastly, the classic one when Banana first left SH in 2004 and when we are not even 881 sisters!

Thu 30/12/2004 3:30 PM - From Banana
"MJ a.k.a Bee Cheng @ you are not my colleague, your my buddie . . . always "

some nice lunchie dates..

2008-08-01T00:23:00.004+08:00

Banana said that she is FULL cos i suddenly blogged so much. so i decided to throw in some "dessert" for her..

steal some lunchie pixs of last week from Carol's blog!
nice food. nice catchup! i love.

tho Banana was freed from madhouse, she will take effort to visit us for lunch! Thanks Banana! im GAY! HAPPY=GAY!

missing those good old days..

2008-07-31T23:10:00.006+08:00

i was browsing thru Steph's friendster and came across this old pix during those days in our fav OBar..

really missed those TKT happening days.. what happened to all of us now?? where did those funs gone to??

31.7.08:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROL!

"You are the nicest person ever who always motivate me with all the encouraging words, whether in studies, relationship, friendship or work, you are always there for me! im glad to have u around. Thanks! Enjoy ya happy happy day ya!"

today is such a good day.
a good new in the early morning brightened up the day!
im still waiting..

farewell does not mean the end!

2008-07-30T16:09:00.012+08:00

indeed a month of GOODBYES! one by one left.. so when will be my turn?

28.07.08: Hor Fun logout officially!

i left the office early for an impt mission!
once again, GOOD LUCK ESMOND!

MY decade buddy - QUEK's HAPPY 27th!! but she's in KL! faster come back for ur celebration! Lets parrty soon! Wishing you HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

29.07.08: last day for JYO in BHD!

ALL THE BEST JYO!
hope to hear good news from u in India soon ya!

the olds go.. the news came.
this is called.. turnover!

30.7.08:
HAPPY OFFICIAL 28TH EZAN!

farewell lunchie for Missy YY!

Princess Javelle joined in the fun too!

with Aw & Boss in their Uniform!

its a great lunch. tho short but warming!

our BHD baby will be offically FREED tmr!
Wishing YY all the HAPPINESS with u!!
no more running tap, okie?

more smiles. more laughters!

What will BHD becoming to? madder than ever? i hope for better!

not boring anymore..

2008-07-28T00:41:00.020+08:00

26.7.08: its NOT at all a boring sat working mid shift.. WHY??

cos we have..

933

Golden Pillow

Fortune Tray

and a crowd! its not lonely anymore!
some stayed back. some came back.

Hor Fun is gonna to deliver the Baby Chicken from Mama Roti!

Classic! Can u hear anything from the pillow?

we also wana hear.. and we got Mr Wan Zi Liang wannabe!

office got sun or the roti too shiny?

ladies at work but only me on duty!

the LAO DA & Leg Babies!

finally 9pm! so we headed to The Crew Room for Hor Fun's farewell CHILL!

Tequila POP

he stressed!

hoegaarden for Cindy??!!

fruit punch with ar ba been! HAHA

farewell kiss

so devoted meh?

smoking gang!

HUH! with Hor Fun?!

farewell rape!

5-10 queen back!

sexy back.. waiting for jiejie to come. ops!

the 3 "S" back!

Carol so cute here!

Toast for Hor Fun! All the Best!

the funny couple!

and Eugene can nv take a good pix with Banana!
checkoutta his signature eyes!

did we see Carina? aint she in Bhutan? HAHA!

Benito came late! i love this pix taken by Banana!

so is Hor Fun really okie? the pix tells all.

WISHING HOR FUN ALL THE BEST IN HK!
Be Good! Study Hard! Play Hard!

Supper! G7! Craving desperately!

14 froggies

Mr Jasmond loves it!

but went "har har har" and desperate for WATER!

so serious look of Ricky! HAHA

OMG! my baby looked fat here!

27.7.08: Babymakmak's 44th!
Benito & WOW went hardcore shopping sprees!

so whose big day on the way?

Gelare mini ice-cream cake slice for..

Ezania!

We dropped by HPC to pass him the pressie & dinner catchup with Boonie Cat at Pasta Mania!

3 of us

Happy Birthday Bro!
Stay Happy & Cool yoz!

a quick catchup.. nice one!

with Benito too!
Steph.. did u spot something familiar??
yes.. again.. HAHA

cant be help.. he just loves it.

Hat pressie for him. glad he loves it!
and indeed cool with it!

30 Aug! Support Boonie Cat aka DJ Freshade at Zouk!
whoever interested, pls let me know.
im helping to collate attendance!

Ezania. pls show up with ur new hat!

its indeed a lovely day before Benito left Spore for the next 10 days!

a super crazy holi-holi-day!!

2008-07-26T16:24:00.040+08:00

TWO mths later, im going back to BKK! this time round, a "biz trip" for me. together, i've my sweet ladies - Steph, Kit & Sarahdee, my SIM buddies - Dan & Edwin joining in. Weird combi of my friends? BUT we've lots fun altogether! indeed crazy! time is never enough! find out more. also i need to be focused and discipline on every purchase! can i make it? checkoutta then.

19/7/08:
another trip without my baby BENito! SEE! im so independent! some "sweet sweet love" pixs before he sent me to meet up with the rest of the girls!

i will miss my babymakmak!

First meal of the day at T3..

Heard from Sarahdee that its yummier than KFC!
Well, i think otherwise and im sure the girls agree with me too..

Check-in Time! We are super early!

Sarahdee & her 12kg empty luggage!

Once again, i stepped my feet on the ground of Changi Airport.. this time with my black gladiator & a bigger luggage. 9kg for a start.

the shopping queens!

Ready to board the plane!..

this guy from Texas came along!
and we met him again in BKK airport! same flight!

SQ - my fav airline to BKK! 2 to fly promo.. cheap & fast!

HAHA. Sarahdee commented that i like to take pix with plane!
Ops! indeed my loyal blog fan!

waiting.. flight delay due to 3 passengers unable to fly!
all of us had to wait for the staffs to find & unload their luggage! WTF!

filled up the card while waiting..

finally took off..

does this pixs look familiar?

my partner of this trip!

Steph & Kit sitting behind us..

finally here we are in BKK!

the taxi driver is a hell rider and we all keep very quiet during the whole journey to avoid distracting him! scary! he is such an idiot! its supposed to be meter taxi and he wanted to charge us 100baht each! his own rule: there are 4 of us. so cannot go by meter! WTF! however, we just fuck it and pay him!

after meeting up with Dan & Edwin (they had arrived in BKK 4 hrs earlier than us) at the Hotel..
first stop: Platinum Fashion Mall

hungry for cosmetics!

on our way to Central World..

elephant feeding.. 20baht only!

while we went for NARAYA spree..

they chilled in Starbucks!

Dinner at Central World FC. Planned to visit Erawan Shrine but due to heavily rain, the plan was postponed. Massage instead!

Edwin complained that his masseur no strength!

Dan loves his masseur!

and the girls giggling away..

super ticklishly!

its already 12.30 midnight. tho we were all quite shagged! but our party plan still ON! no matter what.. die die must PARTY! so we dolled up!

so does our hotel bellboy in the day - Donut!
superstar in the night!

Surprise! 2 MACs! i didnt know MAC got a twin bro!
his bro is John btw! the fatter one.

here we are at Hollywood!
2000 baht for a bottle and cover all of us in!

super huge!

sexy G string singer!

and popped the guys' eyes outta!

this gay is interested in Dan!
dont know who the hell is he. a stranger out of nowhere

does MAC looks like WU MONG DA?
HAHA

what is Edwin doing behind us?
WAN FO CHOW ZHONG dance??

checkoutta his make up! super vain!

all of us! and plus the SAN POR tutu driver who helped us took this pix!

he is the SAN POR tutu driver

super superstar! these girls chase after him to take pixs with him!
mai siao siao!

John drove his tutu to fetch the guys home!

and here we are in the taxi with MAC & Donut sharing the front seat! funny! it was around 3am then..

20/7/08: Day 2 is Chatuchak Day! Left hotel at 9am.
we deliberately missed the hotel breakfast for Wanton Mee but it was not opened yet!

so we had Bake Ham! yummy!

and tea for them..

sorry.. no much pixs.
cos every second is precious. every shopping is serious!

finally got to eat our long-waited wanton mee! all wiped outta!

after a good short rest..

change $$ for next round..

John & MAC waiting to ferry us around..

at a garment shop.. the tutu twins claimed petrol vouchers, Dan made his shirts and us??

WE POSED!

happy shot

serious shot

model shot

guai lan shot!

and Dan is still not done!

Finally! at Erawan Shrine!

Pray al good health! good wealth! HUAT AH!
and flying colours in exam & careers!
I WANT A GOOD JOB!

we shall be back soon! cos our prayers will be heard & fulfilled!

some misunderstanding at the SomboonDEE restaurant with the tutu twins!

but still we had a great dinner tho the food sux! its the companies that count!

Night Shopping at Suan Lum! the rumour that its closing down is absolutely untrue!

bought super chio necklaces at a good bargain!
Kit's powerful bargaining skill: "1000 baht OR NOTHING?!!!"

the night is still young.. Khao San!

chilloutta time at Silk Bar

smirnoff ice black time!

Dan kena the tiger chill coconut! yummy?

its around 1am, we decided to continue our mini chill in the room..

bought a dozen of singha from a illegal hawker cos their 7/11 dont sell liquor or beer after 12midnight! so spore!

checkoutta the BEFORE US!

ARE U ALL READY FOR THE HEART ATTACK??!!

OMG! our 5-10 queen lost the 5-10 match!

a molely sperm on her!

next is Edwin's OR BAK KAH!

whats for the queen again?

and Edwin with his "bull monster blacky nosetril"!

Sarahdee's LOVELY mouth

HAHA! more to come!

a pair of breasts on Edwin's cheeks!

poo on Dan!

with flies somemore!

HAHA! 8 shaped eyebrows

now her face got 1 WAN, 3 WAN & 8 WAN
all KA LONG! how to play this mahjong game! HAHA

Steph decided to give Dan a Chanel Shade!

from this moment.. Dan cannot open his eyes while taking pixs
cos he is wearing a SHADE! hahaha

the "bad man" is here!

my shit turn!
a connected pair of eyebrows, 2 sets of extra eyes and a moustache!

plus a smoking pipe

hamburger, sailor & the bad man!

a few drops of tear.. the sad sailor

theme for Edwin? can someone guess?
btw.. the one on his forehead is a sanitary pad!
is the answer obvious now? HAHA

a new pair of eyebrows for Dan!

a bigger stronger sperm with egg!

some blackhead for the bad man!

how about Sarahdee?

chapalang theme for her!

ARE U READY TO SEE THE AFTER US??

the latest 2008 stylo milo style!

its was indeed very crazy and laughters all over! lucky no one complained about us! by the time we washed up and get back to bed.. it was nearly 5 am.

21.7.08: Day 3! wake up at 9am and we made it for breakfast! Thanks to Missy Alarm Sarahdee!

seems like a big feast but the varieties were Pte Limited!

Last min spree for Kit and Steph before they left for home!

our purchases at MBK in less than 3 hours!

Lunch at Wanton Mee again..

yes! cos its yummy!

after sending Steph and Kit off. we went roaming around Pratunam! to compensate the misunderstanding of the previous night caused by his bro, MAC went round sending Dan & Edwin to the garment shop several times and refused to accept any money! eventually i forced him to take and he accepted unwillingly.. is his rice bowl afterall. and we definitely appreciate his effort! we dated him for a dinner treat and he was too shy to order a drink. he opted for water instead!

THANKS MAC! for being so kind and take good care of us! im glad to see him again!

the BBQ fish! nice!

this meal was so much yummier and cheaper than the previous night meal! THANKS MAC for recommending!

NO MORE night shopping. we had massage instead to compensate our bodies! we barely slept enough for the past two days!

what happen to Edwin? HAHA

HAHA!! two corpses went massage!

some snacks at BK. 24hrs!

and we were back at the same massage parlour for foot massage!

it was past 1 am and we just refused to sleep! sleeping is waste of time for such a short trip! lucky we all shared the same philosophy! haha!!

Day 4: We finally overslept! Our Missy Alarm is abit spoilt! ops! after checkout from hotel. we went sourcing for lunch. back at Platinum Fashion Mall..

this is where the worst came!

i ordered the most disgusting hor fan! is fried hor fan! super gross and i ate till i TOR and Sarahdee DUA LAU! nightmare!

but still both me and Sarahdee made it to the airport to catch the 4.45pm flight! no more missed flight liao! HAHA!

wana guess our luggage weight?

mine at 29kg and Sarahdee's 19kg! just nice. nearly hit 50kg! as SIA limit at 25kg each! lucky no need pay extra!

Dan & Edwin joined us 1 hr later for their 6.15pm flight!

i dont understand why she wana me to take the purple man on the top? ops!

time to home sweet home. good time passed easily..

bade goodbye to the guys..

now her turn to take pix with plane!

the man beside likes her! ops! cos she super helpful and wana help him with the remote and then.. HAHA.. i shall get her to share then..

continue to watch AH LONG PTE LTD! i think we saw Kit in the show! HAHA!! SIA on demand TV. i love.

a smooth flight home. this pilot is so much better than the previous one!

i brought back CJ7! a free gift from a golden hair uncle selling bears by the roadside! cos i bought in total 120 bears from him! but that was kind and good CS of him!

YES! CS is impt! even a small store uncle knows!

its a beautiful day back to Spore!
chio chio weather & us..

i will be back to BKK soon. maybe two mths later? so anyone interested to join in the fun? one word to describe this trip:

UNFORGETABLE!

i dont know why..

2008-07-18T18:40:00.005+08:00

i dont know why that im not in the right mood today.. i should say that my mood is super fiery. plus those retarded mandarin callers nearly made me flared. this madhouse is driving me MAD! im glad that tmr i will be on the jet plane out of these shits! i had enough of this shitty mad place! enough! luckily i got Cindy around to help me keep my cool.. else I SURE GO MAD!

counting down check.. ZERO day!

HURRAY!! ITS HOLI HOLIDAY!!

p/s: this is gonna be a "biz" trip for me, so i wont be having enough time to shop for other things except my 'biz" stuffs! seeking for all understanding if i did not get u any gifts this time round ya..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lucky Uncle Patrick!

2008-07-16T19:16:00.004+08:00

Uncle Pat's Birthday on Lucky 11/7/08.. so we had a mini birthday dinner with him on 14/7/08!
Guess where are we??

seafood platter!

the birthday "boy"! ops!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE PAT!

WISHING U HUAT AH ALL THE WAY!!

and us..

a great dinner with great companies!

WHERE ARE U STEPHANIE TAN ZHIYI??!!

14/7/2008 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS LOW!!

STAY HAPPY HAPPY SWEET SWEET ALWAY!!

slow again cos i chose sleeping to blogging..

2008-07-14T12:45:00.015+08:00

im slow again.. and my subject tells all. but nevertheless, i still collect nice pixs diligently. so here i go..

4708 - KANG TAO LEE!
independent day! super good day with TWO good news!

1. STEPH'S FREED DAY! so we bought her for shopping spree! shiok!

at Charles & Keith..

we shopped for shades

she shopped for belt! for ur big tummy?!! HAHA

shades for them too?

she settled for a bag!

Next Stop at BYSI..

a new top for new job

Third at Outfitter..

a cool tees to chill

and lastly..

sexy top for party!

she chose what she likes. not a single cent required from her. compliment from US! i wants this privilege when i GO too! can? HAHA

decade fren! thanks for spending 2 years of fun working with me!

U ARE OFFICIALLY FREED!

alright.. we had great spree altogether but back at madhouse, rec'd an email which pissed me off nearly forever! "someone" is just being so super stingy! complaining about the "branded items". so whats "branded" mean to u?!! anyway, i super dont agree and cant accept ur $5 worth of remembrance! whatever it is, I WONT COUNT U IN FOR ANY PRESSIE SHARING IN FUTURE!

2. WELCOMING BB LEO BENEDICT CHONG!
and Cece deliberately emphasize got "BEN" in the name! HAHA*

little "ben" ops! he is LEO!

mummy looked super good and BB super cute
and Paul Paul looked-alike!

excited us..

THANKS Cece for helping us to give birth to another BB!
WOWAHAHA!

5.7.08: my neighbourhood KTV Anni Dinner..

my parents actively involved
both won champion in a recent competition wor!
mai siao siao.. HAHA

the always loving couple

so do us??

nw their turn to perform!
my KTV craze family! and im proud!

our nephews
the un-identical twins!

mummy's solo! SUPPORT!

a dinner which do not worth the money!
and dad paid for 4 tables!!

nevertheless, i treasured the quality time spent with my BIG BIG family!

6July:

Katong Laksa

at Katong! but im confused which stall is selling the real Katong laksa?

Teck Lip's house-warming at Kallang..

i finally saw Luke Luke!

so miss him!

little handsome boy..

what is Luke doing?

checking out Lip's tummy!

happy! happy!

checkoutta his teeth!

FU LU SHOU!

Michelle finally came..

checkoutta what naughty Luke Luke trying to do to Matt?

a nice pix of us..

those good OldADQ days..

7.7.08:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO CINDY & RICKY!

so where am i after work then?

support SUPERBAND!
ahahaha.. i feel so young suddenly!

INK supporters!
support Jac's cousin!

just before the show..

and during the show..

Q: WHO IS THIS GUY?

pls post ur answer in my chit chat box!

if answer correctly.. will get surprise from WOW!

hurry hurry!

just recently.. last sat:

DC proj. we went shopping at Funan and Harbourfront!
Our proj is shopping! FUN RIGHT! hopefully..

we spotted our ideal store and here we are at Prive to chill!

a piece of cake..

two black

one white..

and a loner..

HAHA.. btw, Yvonne Lim is just behind him!

lastly.. time to count down!
WE ARE ALL SUPER DESPERATE!
i know.. u know.. we all know!

ARRIVAL OF CECE'S PRINCE!!

2008-07-04T15:42:00.003+08:00

Independence Day! Our lil prince arrived earlier this morning 0908hr at Mount E.!

nice bushy hair.. i love.

Congrats Cece & Michael!!!

i take back what i've said..

2008-07-03T15:29:00.004+08:00

confidence level up again. i may be implusive last night! feel better after a good talk. i trust that i will make it. indeed good.

confidence level real low..

2008-07-02T22:27:00.004+08:00

suddenly confident level ran real low. feel like giving up. i tot i found my direction and the satisfaction by doing things i enjoyed and wanted but the lack of support from U just tarnished everything! i need time to pick myself up again..

i cant believe..

2008-07-02T11:05:00.002+08:00

i cant believe that WE MADE IT TO SEX AND THE CITY - FOC! THANKS TO JANE!
i cant believe that I WATCHED IT WITH BENITO WHEN ITS SUPPOSED TO BE A SHOW WITH GFS!
i cant believe that ITS ONLY 2ND JULY AND I TOOK 2 MCS!
i cant believe that I HAD HIT 11 MCS SO FAR!
i cant believe that IM SERIOUSLY SICK THIS TIME ROUND!
i cant believe that I PUKED IN THE CAB!
i cant believe that THE DAMN GASTRIC HIT MY TUMMY SO BADLY AND I CAN IMAGINE THE LABOURING PAIN!
i cant believe that SARAHDEE HAD LEFT!
i cant believe that STEPH WILL BE FREED IN 2 DAYS TIME TOO!
i cant believe that TMR IS BACK TO SCHOOL DAY!
i cant believe that MY SCHOOL HOLIDAY IS OFFICIALLY OVER!

my secret admirer..

2008-06-30T17:30:00.005+08:00

today.. my R mood is back!
so my secret admirer came along to cheer up my day with..

beauty.. and polar.

i heart my "secret admirer"!

***

today.. is her last day AGAIN!

SHE WILL BE BACK!!

stay tuned. HAAHAA..