Window

[Updated : 20 April 2009, news today - interest-rate-going-up] So, not rumor anymore.

Exora launch speech

This is a well given speech. Credit to the speaker.

Inside it, it was mentioned about the infamous power window problem. Yes, many proton car owners suffered this problem. For me, I owned two proton cars in the span over 10 years , power windows failed both cars and not just Waja alone, yes, there were many other problems, twice driving and clutch pump failed to function in my 1.6 wira , my wife’s wira, drove halfway stalled – water dried up water pump failed (By the way, we service 5k kilometers religiously without failed.) Luckily, it was not on highway or else she would have lost her life.

Even car makers like GM, Toyota, Ford are facing financial problems as of now due to downturn. Malaysian national car is heavily helped by government for the past 20++ years in terms of duty excise. Makes other car  are  very expensive to even own (Toyota & Honda) . Currently I do not drive Proton anymore. Maybe 10 years later will reconsider in the hope they improve discounting the fact that they already had 20++ years of help.

Anyway, if the duty is not enough ,for those of you love rumors, I have a friend in financial industry (Car hire purchase financing), Toyota & Honda & others financing rate is about 2.4-2.6 %, whereas local brand car (Perodua & Proton) are having 3.6-3.75% rate. If you asked me why the differences, I do not know but I suspect it has to do with economic of scale (because amount of financing on foreign brand car is normally in higher amount, and it has to do with the hirer quality and eventual industrial wide default rate). But some doctor’s son now is a deputy minister to the trade ministry, and  the Bank Negara is to  “regulate” it so that we will have “Leveled” playing field, yes those foreign brand will have to be 3.6-3.7%++ soon. So do expect to pay more if you intend to own Honda & Toyota or others.

If you like the old doctor to preserve his fucking failed legacy and trying to install his son to keep it going, by all means go ahead, but not me, my dear wife and myself nearly killed driving an inferior designed and produced car pushed by his fucking father and all Malaysian has to pay a lot of money/possibly their lives to subsidize his legacy. Lately he is making a come back (already 80+ years of age) and I am not too happy about it.

woody

Hour

Flexi hour is a very useful system for many companies. Especially those having multiple sites across different geographical zones ,people can come in (or works) at odd hours for meeting, and come in little later in the next day. It is not particularly suitable for production folks where most decision making focuses on management team that co-located on single site, but if some folks need to work late into the night just to complete certain time constrained task, it is a nice way to ensure the person having enough sleep so that next day is another productive day, right ?

However, rampant abuse of such system will likely lead to a policy change to revoke such allowance in flexible working hour. When abuse of such system is found, one needs to delicately deal with it on individual level.

Anyway, I am working for a company that has such limited system where some folks are allowed to use it. We have a staff that do not deal with overseas folks, and yet comes in 1 hour late almost everyday. Not that he did a tremendous job, but many projects handled by him are having serious problem, he even proudly proclaimed it during conference call that he was very overwhelmed with tasks and delaying projects.

What would you do? If you have such people working for you.

For me, I will gather some evidence and issue warning letter to that person. If symptom persists, I will FIRE him/her and not even allowing one working for me.

Such people are looters, they are the enemies of all good benefits a company can provide and abused it until such system can no longer work leading to a productivity loss, thus justifying its removal. If you have one, you should do the same fire all until none left.

With such problem left untreated can lead others to believe that you do nothing to arrest problematic staffs and  making  the most innovative & productive folks even more pissed off.

woody