The Weakest Link - on Friday!

The weakest link...

Just finished watching Survivor - Cook Islands
and saw Sekou got voted out!
He apparently was the weakest link...
Why? Probably because he stood out to lead?
Is that the real reason?
Do we always boot out those whom stand out?

Yes and no...!
When it's at the group forming stage,
if you're not too careful and become too outstanding,
That's the outcome you'll get - the boot!
Perhaps everyone didn't have time to get to know
everyone else as yet...

Whatever it is, Sekou paid the price!

It's all about group dynamics...
Complicated by various individuals' self concerns to survive...
If we feel threatened by another, we activate the fight or flight
syndrome... we wish the "outcast" out of the game...
So how do we manage so that we remain???

hmmm...

Guess there must be a strategy developed, and strong links established
But in the end, its a game of wit and just anybody can and will betray the next.
Its a tough dog eat dog world, but one's gotta do what one needs to survive.
Afterall, that's in the name of the game!

Blue skies, always!

Microcredit

Microcredit came into the news recently when the Nobel committee decided to award Mr Muhammad Yunus (on the left) and Grameen Foundation with the Nobel Peace Prize for their untiring efforts to eradicate poverty in Bangladesh. The concept of microcredit hailed from CK Prahalad where he wrote at length on the topic "Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid". (click and read this for enlightenment on the FATBOTP).

Prahalad expounded that even the poorest of communities do present a big opportunity for businesses to consider reaching out to, so as to make these communities prosper, and at the same time, fatten their own coffers.

This concept, though on the surface seems outright unthinkable, yet if scrutinised thoroughly, will reveal that there are much to be gained by considering these "so-called" unattractive and unmarketable segment. I mean, even they need to meet their basic requirements of food and all other bare necessities. And if businesses were to open their eyes wide, they would also see that - at the same time fulfilling their moral oblication to humankind.

What if all the banks in all of the world, buy into this concept of FATBOTP? Why! Pretty soon all the poor communities would be eradicated! However, this concept goes against all the text-book teaching of loans as microcredit exists based on trust - no collaterals required.

However, there is a catch to the microcredit scheme - those wanting a loan would have to come as a group and of say 5. Loans would then be disbursed to the group and group pressure would force all members to make regular repayments. If just one member of the group were to default, the entire group would not be able to get a second loan until the first loan is repaid.

Not surprisingly, this microcredit scheme has proven to be very successful in its loan repayment performance! Reportedly reaching up to the high 90s%! That's even better than many banks can do!

Well, would this same concept of microcredit be able to work in Singapore?
I read about a group that's been doing this for some time now.
I say, there should be more groups sprouting out to do similarly.

Then slowly but surely, we would be able to eradicate the poorest, but equip them to do something useful, rewarding and self-fulfilling!

Hmmm... maybe i should look into this myself and gather some people who are keen and interested. I'm sure the many of the Family Service Centres would be able to locate families that may be interested to form groups to participate in this scheme!

What say you Singapore???! Comments please...



Interested to be a mentor for a microbuisness? Check out this site!

"Give me a lever long enough, and I'll move the world." - Archimedes
But KayCee says - "Empower me, and I'll give you the world!" - KayCee

Successful Implementation of Microcredit in Singapore???

Microcredit came into the news recently when the Nobel committee decided to award Mr Muhammad Yunus (on the left) and Grameen Foundation with the Nobel Peace Prize for their untiring efforts to eradicate poverty in Bangladesh. The concept of microcredit hailed from CK Prahalad where he wrote at length on the topic "Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid". (click and read this for enlightenment on the FATBOTP).

Prahalad expounded that even the poorest of communities do present a big opportunity for businesses to consider reaching out to, so as to make these communities prosper, and at the same time, fatten their own coffers.

This concept, though on the surface seems outright unthinkable, yet if scrutinised thoroughly, will reveal that there are much to be gained by considering these "so-called" unattractive and unmarketable segment. I mean, even they need to meet their basic requirements of food and all other bare necessities. And if businesses were to open their eyes wide, they would also see that - at the same time fulfilling their moral oblication to humankind.

What if all the banks in all of the world, buy into this concept of FATBOTP? Why! Pretty soon all the poor communities would be eradicated! However, this concept goes against all the text-book teaching of loans as microcredit exists based on trust - no collaterals required.

However, there is a catch to the microcredit scheme - those wanting a loan would have to come as a group and of say 5. Loans would then be disbursed to the group and group pressure would force all members to make regular repayments. If just one member of the group were to default, the entire group would not be able to get a second loan until the first loan is repaid.

Not surprisingly, this microcredit scheme has proven to be very successful in its loan repayment performance! Reportedly reaching up to the high 90s%! That's even better than many banks can do!

Well, would this same concept of microcredit be able to work in Singapore?
I read about a group that's been doing this for some time now.
I say, there should be more groups sprouting out to do similarly.

Then slowly but surely, we would be able to eradicate the poorest, but equip them to do something useful, rewarding and self-fulfilling!

Hmmm... maybe i should look into this myself and gather some people who are keen and interested. I'm sure the many of the Family Service Centres would be able to locate families that may be interested to form groups to participate in this scheme!

What say you Singapore???! Comments please...



Interested to be a mentor for a microbuisness? Check out this site!

"Give me a lever long enough, and I'll move the world." - Archimedes
But KayCee says - "Empower me, and I'll give you the world!" - KayCee

KayCeez Feel - Sad...

12 Oct 2006
Here's a picture taken during dinner at Altivo Bar at Singapore's Jewel Box atop Mount Faber... lovely panoramic view of southern Singapore, lovely ambience, lovely food, fantastic service... check out their award-winning feature... what is it? I'll share in subsequent postings... but if you're there you can ask Velda or Desmond and they'll be proud to show you... let's keep this for another posting.


For my main post for today...
So another day another blog another experience another...
last night hunger pangs bugged us, so we decided to pay
a visit to a famous place where they sell the famous
Singapore chilli crab just beside the sea...

it was a beautiful night, and with the alfresco concept that
the restaurant was, it was beautiful.. So we ordered a
hotplate of beef stirfried with ginger as well as the all-famous
chilli crab, only one small crab cos she doesn't eat crab meat
it was spicily sweatingly good...as usual... until the bill came!

Like i said, we ordered one small crab and it weighed 700g,
and with the cost of $3/100g, my math tells me that it costs
$21 for the famous chilli crab dish. I almost fell off my chair
when i saw the bill - i was charged $150 for the crab dish!
It's a good thing that i checked the bill before paying, and
exclaimed to the service staff the price.

She didn't even take a second look and just said that she'll
go check, and very shortly mentioned that yes, it did occur
to her as well that the crab can't be so much since i only had
one crab! So why didn't she immediately go back to the cashier
to get the bill corrected, but wait till the customer found out and
give such excuse??? I'm sure if a foreigner were to be the ones
receiving such a bill, they'll probably just pay up.. since they may
not know or be familiar with the pricing.

Lesson Learnt: always always check your bill before paying or
giving them your charge card when you're eating chilli crab,
otherwise you'll be contributing towards their expansion fund!

SO there goes my feel... so sad that i was almost "taken for a $150 ride"...

For now... i've gotta get to bed cos gotta get up at 3.15(am lah!) to wake her up, then catch 40winks before waking up to send her for her flight... yawwwwnnn!!!
A longgg evening after attending a internet seminar... interesting, cos one of the speakers was the one that motivated me to start blogging... we'll keep this for another posting, cos now i really need to sleep....zzzz

"Give me a lever long enough, and I'll move the world." - Archimedes
But KayCee says - "Empower me, and I'll give you the world!" - KayCee

More blogs about Kaycee Feel sad.

So Here's My Feel Today... US$1.6 billion!

Wow! So YouTube was sold for more than US$1.6 billion! That's a cool Singapore$2.6 billion!!!

I mean... who would have thot a never-biznex-intended compilation of videos, never not even posted by nor belonging to the YouTube originators Chad & Steve (come to think about it!), would make it this big!??? I'm sure they never would have dreamed this day will come.... or did they?? ;-) Well, myMerGal sure doesn't think so... ;-)

Is YouTube really worth that much... crazy some might say, but hey! if you did your maths, and if you were a marketing student, or a biznez student, you would already know that it's all about location....location... location! Itz all about that distribution channel, i mean, how else would you get a ready advertising space where there would be more than 100million visits in a single day! AWESOME! I say...

So, to Chad & Steve, I say, more than well-done!

So this is how KayCee's Feel today...

From once sunny, nw haz-zee Singapore

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