shadow play

must've been taken a couple of weeks ago. I love capturing shadows, they remind me of the omniscience of Light, which to me, is a metaphor for the God I love and worship with all my heart.

shutter bug

I'm strictly amateur, but I take great joy in photography. I love the challenge of framing scenes through the lens to express myself. I take regular photo walks, and I am a habitue of a couple of haunts, but I would love to expand my horizons, if given the opportunity. For now though, I am happy to just come back to my favourite hang outs and look at them from a different perspective with every visit. :)

Easter

my favourite part of Lent. the conclusion of suffering and Death--the Glory of Resurrection, and reunion with the Father, the beginning of a Church to change the world. :) here, a Celebration.

freaky

I've let loose my Inner Goofball, Inner Nerd, Inner Word Geek, Inner Foodie, Inner Shutterbug, now it's time to let the Inner Fitness Freak out. Been really making time for calisthenics and sprints these past few days, and Tatay and Ate Els have been really supportive. Even my shrink recommended a diet plan that she swears by to help with the weight loss. Realised now that real sustainable fitness takes years to achieve, because it also took years to acquire my unhealthy habits that I had to undo and un-learn. Tried out this skull and crossbones bikini for the self portrait but you won't see me in it in the beach this year. Still self-conscious about my tummy, which I've been working on with crunches and core exercises. But I'm very happy with the way some of my clothes fit now. I hope to get back my vava-voom figure in time for my 40th next year. Wish me luck! :)

grateful

was chatting with my former Yaya who now just comes to do the laundry, because, as she put it, I'm all grown up, and I've outgrown her. I recounted to her my day, which is just joy upon joy, and all the blessings I've received lately. Perspective truly is a gift. I always choose to see my glass half full, and no matter how bad the storms get, I know two things about them: they pass, and I put deeper roots and become stronger because of them. I had lunch with my college best friend Carla earlier, and her friendship is one of my most cherished treasures, and so I handle it with utmost care. As always, work was fun. It's just so great that amidst the turmoil of life, there are places you can come back to where you are assured of your worth and place in people's hearts. Namaste.

brilliantine

Diamonds are formed when carbon, the common coal, is subjected to great pressure. It feels like that at times, the great pressures of life creating in me something greater, and more precious than I was before. I  was inspired to take this self portrait because it is that kind of day--there is clarity, a great breakfast, a motivation to put in even a little work out, and a conversation with my shrink about how I am editing my life to make improvements, to become a little more independent, a lot more alive. It is that kind of day. :)

HAPPY!

because it's a great day. I told myself this is going to be a great week. It hasn't disappointed so far! :)

pretty paws

DIY French tips. Yes. I'm that kikay! :)

beady eyes

the necklace is a weekend project from last year. it is inspired by a necklace of Ann Boleyn's that I saw in a museum in England. Its first incarnation is in maroon pearl and black silk ribbon that I gave to my shrink several years ago. I give her stuff I made, like poetry, photos, paintings, and bead jewellery, for special occasions, just because they mean more to me than anything I can buy in the store.

Wednesday

took time to get ready for work. It was Special Day at the hospital, so I got ham and omelette for breakfast. Annnnnd...still no Internet. So Special Day is also No Work Day! Aight! :)

statistics

For some mysterious reason, the boobage grew while I trimmed inches off my waist. Last year, my waist measured 42 inches, boobs at 41 inches (I don't have implants, never will!) after more than a year of moderate diet and exercise, I shaved off almost 50 lbs from my weight. my vital stats now stand at 43.5-37-42. Still on the overweight side, but I am steadily shedding the pounds. Can't wait to see what I look like this time next year! :)

ootd

black mock neck dress, Tory Burch flats, vintage Chanel bling, ATTITUDE. :)

Addressing the Conundrum of Establishing Customer Loyalty to a Brand vis-a-vis Loyalty to a Healthcare Provider

Building up a brand for medical facilities requires a balancing act that involves a holistic approach to brand management and service provision.
  

Ayala Health is in a unique position to define its brand and build up customer loyalty through well thought out programmes both in the front end and the back end.

After baseline market research has been conducted, one can proceed to building up the back end programmes that will serve as the foundation of its front end activities. By this we mean the facility itself, the soft component, which is support services, and the health care providers themselves.

All must adhere to the goals of Ayala Health as a company, which can be the provision of high quality care, services, medicines and products at reasonable price points, or price points perceived as providing good value for money for its target market. This can be achieved through standardised training programmes, developing and establishing treatment protocols, constant personnel and service evaluation, and such.

To standardise the quality of care delivered by its health care professionals, the company should not only communicate to its staff the goal of delivering high quality service to its clients, but also the reason behind it? 

Why was Ayala Health established? What gap in the market does it hope to address? Why? By giving its health care providers a sense of purpose, there is a chance that the fulfilment of the company's goals will become their passion and motivate them to work individually and as a group for the achievement of the higher purpose that is the company's raison d'etre.

Constant service evaluation is a good way to ensure the consistent delivery of such quality of care. 

Admittedly, surveys and forms are tedious to fill out, and clients would not normally accomplish them of their own volition, so doing such should be made into a pleasant and rewarding experience. For instance, develop a viable and cost effective promotion, such as a raffle, that will somehow involve getting feedback from your clients.

Ensuring across the board consistency of service could inculcate loyalty to the brand because they know that whichever health care provider they see for a consult will deliver the same quality of care they have gotten used to from their other doctors.  Part of the reason why people come to St. Luke's and Makati Medical Centre is that these facilities have become synonymous with the provision of good quality care, that patients are assured their concerns will be competently addressed if they come to these institutions. This should be the same goal for Ayala Health.

As a start-up, it is in a good position to leverage the Ayala brand, but also redefine it. By this we mean, Ayala has always been associated with the delivery of high levels of quality services and products, which is a good base for branding, but its chain of clinics can endear it to a new segment of the market it has not traditionally served, which is the middle class, lower middle class markets.

Front end marketing activities can help achieve this. Study your market, what price points are perceived as providing good value for money for them? Bundle services and products, initiate loyalty card programmes (provide discounts for regulars, for instance).

Engage the market as a community. Work with institutions, such as schools, churches, and local governments to implement initiatives that will help improve health consciousness in your market.

After school family activities co-hosted with local schools have a good potential for brand building and establishing loyalty. Do soft marketing, such as simple association with Ayala Health by resource speakers, tasteful banners and collateral could be used to support the programme.

Didactics could be a good avenue for brand building. Topics can cover, but should not be limited to, basic health; and sound nutrition, parenting and hygiene practices. It could go as far as addressing social ills such as drug addiction, mental health problems, teenage pregnancies, and such.  Didactics are, to me a very practical, useful , and effective marketing tool. With a minimal investment, one addresses misguided beliefs in communities, thus alleviating social ills, but also establishes an emotional connection with the communities which comprise the market. As lives of the members of the communities served by such programmes improve, there is the possibility that they will remember Ayala Health as their ticket out of misguided beliefs, improved knowledge, and therefore improved lives.  

Oil as a tool for geopolitical dominance and the argument for autonomous, sustainable and clean energy sources and supply

The past century has been witness to the shifts in the balance of power as the world became more dependent on oil to fuel the global economic machinery.

Tumbling oil prices in the current world market betray the agenda of dominant suppliers as they aim for economic dominance over their rival countries. Take for instance the case of Iran, which has recently re-entered the global arena and is actively and aggressively expanding its domestic economy through trade deals with various partners. While the following statement is highly speculative and holds no factual merit, it can be argued that part of the reason why it is saturating the oil market is its desire to bring the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to its knees. KSA is entirely dependent on oil for its economic stability and has had a thorny history with Iran. The same can be said for the United States, whose rivalry with Russia, it could be argued, did not end with the conclusion of the Cold War.

While this theory or retaliation, it must be reiterated, is purely rhetorical, for argument's sake, it must be noted that if the said intent is present, then these countries who are out for vendetta are succeeding. Using the global oil supply as a tool for geopolitcal dominance is indeed an effective one, for we know that KSA and Russia are currently experiencing economic doldrums as a result of the lower oil prices, which were in turn, caused by Iran, and the US and Canada's inundation of supply in the world market.

Such a thesis posits to us observers that safeguards must be put in place against such manipulation. As leaders tussle in the political arena, it is the common man who suffers the consequences of such actions. They are the ones who feel the pinch when the economy contracts, when their currency loses its value, and jobs are lost, not the suits who walk the halls of the White House or Kremlin.  

This global situation makes a strong case for developing locally available, sustainable, and clean energy sources to decentralise the balance of power and take it from the hands of the few who control the global oil supply.

There is an abundance of available technology worldwide to harness the geothermal, wind, solar, and hydropower energy sources that are abundant across the globe. Autonomising power sources does not only redound to cheaper energy, but a more resilient global ecosystem where countries are not at the mercy of the few who wish to wield geopolitical dominance by manipulating the world economy.

Moreover, clean and sustainable energy can be harnessed safely, without the risk of a fallout or disaster, as is common in nuclear technology. Apart from being costly, such power sources are dangerous, and in my personal point of view, its cost and risks far outweigh the benefits that can be culled from it.

With these alternative energy sources, smaller countries who do not have the capability to dominate the global economic arena, are able to check the dominant countries by their ability to run their domestic economies as they see fit, according to the needs of their people, without kowtowing to those who hold the energy supply hostage. They are able to exercise autonomy in their political and economic decisions. They are better able to channel available resources to address high priority issues in their locale.

With clean and sustainable energy, politically autonomous countries can define their goals and vision for their nation, unhindered by the worry or fear that they will not have enough energy supply to fuel the realisation of their dreams for their countrymen.

-30-

the future

inspired

imagine

The “Music Museum”

To bring Filipinos and music closer to each other, Ayala Land, Inc. could set up “Music Museums” in each of its developments. 

 The concept of the “Music Museum” plays on the concept of museums as a repository of items or relics from the past, but could also be amalgamated with the Ayala Foundation’s aspiration to make these institutions an active element in shaping society through culture and the arts.

As such, the Music Museum could provide access to a library of Filipino music, which will continuously be updated. To make it self-liquidating, the Museum could charge a fee per visit to users, similar to the revenue generating scheme of the Filipinas Heritage Library.

However, to expose its audience to the wide variety of musical genres, performances could be staged here as well. To encourage attendance, the Museum should be within easy access to high traffic elements of ALI developments, such as malls and restaurants. A nominal fee could be charged, and these concerts could be mixed with free performances to a) keep audiences interested and watching for new artists and b) as a gesture of gratitude to loyal patrons of Ayala Corporation’s products and services.

It could also be rented out as a venue for exclusive and private concerts, for corporate and individual clients.

The Music Museum could also debunk the idea that museums are enclosed in buildings and edifices. Like traveling exhibits of painters and other visual artists, the museum could stage traveling performances. How do we then differentiate these performances from the usual concert tour mounted by pop stars? It could be staged in small arenas, with an educational element where the performers are not commercially inclined, such as folk musicians and the like.

For instance, a traveling Music Museum performance could be staged in a University theatre, which will be accompanied by a short lecture on the music to be performed at a later time.

Another concept could be to collaborate with restaurants, for instance featuring Spanish cuisine and a flamenco guitarist.

Or it could catalyze collaborations among musicians and visual and other performing artists. The possibilities are endless: ballet, modern dance, sand art, shadow puppet theatre, as long as music is involved.

The programme could also include music as therapy by involving wellness experts, such as yogi and Pilates instructors, meditation and mental health professionals.

Increasing Banks’ Competitiveness in an Integrated ASEAN Market

Perhaps the best advice banks ought to take from veterans is to learn from history. Recent economic crises have exposed these financial institutions’ main weakness, and it can be summed up in one word: greed.

The desire to make more money on top of what they already have has made banks susceptible to unsustainable schemes, such as derivatives of derivatives of derivatives, undue exposure to credit risk, and fueling the real estate bubble, especially in the United States.

Prudence and innovation remain the key to competitiveness in the banking industry, especially in a market that is about to become diverse and integrated at the same time.

To gain a foothold in foreign markets, it would be more prudent to partner with local institutions that have a better understanding of their market. The best new clients will always be enterprises; they are a good stress test of the bank’s capability to adapt to local conditions because at the end of the day, building a clientele is also about building relationships.

It would also be wise to not be too aggressive in testing the new markets. Growth should not just be measured quantitatively, but also qualitatively. By this we mean looking at the kind of relationships the bank has established with its partners. Are partnerships amicable and trustworthy, or are they hostile and laced with paranoia? The imperative is to build trust from the beginning, honor commitments, look out for each other’s best interests, and find mutually beneficial endeavors. It should not really matter who has a controlling stake, equal is always best, because leadership and bulk of the decision making will be determined by the executives anyway. What matters is that business goals, ethics, and values are laid down clearly and mutually agreed upon.

Open communication lines should be maintained, the spirit of teamwork engendered. It should be stressed that the real value of partnerships lies not only in quantifiable parameters, but also in the quality of relationships the banks build as a single unit. Trust takes time to build but could take just one mistake to destroy so that banks should examine their intent carefully before entering into partnerships with other banks.  

Do not be swayed by the lure of attracting a wider market if the market does not measure up to credit risk standards. Prudence is always a good recourse in expanding banking assets, especially loans. Examine your portfolio: are your assets invested in clients with a solid track record, with a reliable capacity to pay, and sustainable income? Or are they flash in the pan, fly by night debtors? Getting the latter’s business in the beginning may not be worth the heartache of running after them to cut your losses.

However, non-performing loans are a reality banks must deal with. Sometimes even the clients with the best credit ratings can experience down cycles brought about by unavoidable circumstances. In such cases, be flexible enough to consider debt restructuring and renegotiation. Accept longer payment periods with adjusted (but not exorbitant) interest rates. Looking out for such clients may benefit the bank in the long term as well, by being remembered as an institution that did not cause them to lose their shirt in the negotiation process, a humane bank that also looks into the individual conditions of its debtors.

Innovate. Study your market. Learn from your customers, do not be shy to ask them how else you can serve them better. The answer to this question cannot be found in the boardroom but in the streets, in the branches, among the common people.

Perhaps one common concern among the emerging middle class in the ASEAN is the lack of personal documentation among the masses. Apart from their birth register, they may have little to show for their legal and financial identity.

BPI-Globe’s partnership, called BanKo is innovative in itself. It combines microfinancing with mobile technology, thus addressing the former’s need for a medium to deliver the concept to a wider market.

The services already on offer on the platform, such as bills payment, cash transfer, and insurance are also compelling.

However, the bank can take this service a step further by allowing mobile finance to be used for online transactions and brick and mortar. E-commerce is a force that cannot be ignored. With the still limited number of credit card holders in the country, mobile payment is a viable substitute, provided safeguards are put in place to minimize risk to the bank and to the client. Wouldn’t it be nice to pay for your lunch at the carinderia, your cab ride, or that book you purchased online with G-cash? You minimize the cash you carry around with you, you also minimize a lot of risks that attend carrying cash.

Another service that the platform can offer is an expense tracker. Develop an application that would help the user keep track of their expenses for certain periods of time, perhaps from one pay period to the next, to help those trying to budget their income become more literate.

The possibilities are endless. Remember, two heads are better than one, so make the environment in your workplace conducive to teamwork, creativity, and innovation. And don’t forget, register everything you develop at the Intellectual Property Office. You deserve to reap the financial rewards and the credit for your brainchild (or brainchildren, as the case may be).

To paraphrase the evolutionist Charles Darwin, it is not the strongest, nor the most intelligent of the species that survive, but the ones who are most able to adapt to change.

ASEAN integration is almost upon us. Embrace it with excitement rather than apprehension. Look out for new opportunities to grow rather than let your fears fester. Remember, fortune favors the bold!

A Strategy for Inclusive Economic Growth

While the criticism that the recent gains enjoyed by the Philippine economy barely tickles down to the masses is valid, it is not without a solution. 

Perhaps the primary challenge to the state is to create the mindset among the multitudes that they are active stakeholders and participants in the economy, and thus should not just wait for growth to trickle down to them. As I see it, the Filipino’s view of his role in all this activity is akin to that of Juan Tamad who spends his days under the guava tree with his mouth open, waiting for the fruit to fall into it, instead of picking the fruit, and more other fruits so that he can do more with his time, and perhaps earn a little money by selling the fruit in the market.

Creating an active mindset will entail education at the grassroots, not just through public information campaigns, but by providing a smorgasbord of livelihood options and training to those who wish to engage in it. Create opportunities for self-employment and entrepreneurship, and level the playing field, so that those who wish to do business from the lower classes can have as much a chance to succeed as those from the privileged classes.

Minimize the risk of failure in entrepreneurship first, by providing management training at a nominal cost for those who want to engage in it. Emphasize creative problem solving, analytical and critical thinking, and niche marketing, as well as innovation in the training process. Future entrepreneurs must be trained to become adaptable and independent decision makers because market conditions are unpredictable and thus, textbook solutions can only take them so far.

Utilize technology to support these startups, which will usually be small and medium in size in the beginning. Already, there are cloud based outsourced business solutions for accounting and human resources management, for instance, which can make their operations efficient and help them with “slow burn” of their seed capital, which is, help them spend their capital efficiently.

A possible ally in creating a nation of entrepreneurs could be the technology companies that offer cloud computing services. It is in their best interests to have an educated and sustainable market for their products, so they can lend the knowledge and management resources they have at hand to the government to provide training for future entrepreneurs.

Technology companies could also use this opportunity to create a market for their services, first by building brand equity through its education services. Among others, it could throw in consultation services as a perk or a premium to its technology services. It could tie up with knowledge management and consultation firms to provide such services. Attending business school is an expensive undertaking, but if enterprises are loyal to the provider, they could gain knowledge culled from such through their education and consulting services.

The technology provider could also partner with NGOs such as GoNegosyo and Gawad Kalinga to keep its ear to the ground and develop services that will remain relevant to its markets. It must be emphasized that continuous development of new services as technology and market demand evolve is a good survival strategy for them.

One platform that has endless potential as a business tool is mobile technology. With increasing mobile bandwidth and more sophisticated access tools (smart phones and tablets), the possibilities for using the platform for business applications is only as limited as our imagination. GPS based fleet tracking, real time inventory reporting, customer service updating, these are but a few of the examples of the business applications that can be developed for the mobile platform.

We emphasize the need to create and sustain small and medium enterprises because they are in the best position to provide employment and other benefits to communities at the grassroots level. They could provide livelihood to residents in their locale, because it is more efficient to do so. Unlike conglomerates and multinationals where responsibilities, duties and job descriptions have far reaching effects should an employee fail, failure in small scale businesses are more bearable and less costly for the company.  Thus, even low skilled individuals can qualify for employment in such enterprises. However, the cycle should not stop here. 

These employees must be given opportunities for further personal and professional growth through on the job training and education.

Moreover, the informal economy is already made up of such enterprises. All we need to do is get the Filipino out of the “sari-sari store mentality” and help him think of more creative means of making their money grow through more relevant and innovative enterprises.

To transform the informal economy, participants should also be taught the importance of paying proper taxes. Taxes fuel state operations, for better or worse, but given the right leadership, such as the one we have currently, the odds could be in the taxpayers’ favor. If taxes are reinvested properly in institutionalized entrepreneurship assistance programmes, such as business management training and microfinance and lending initiatives, it is possible to see positive results within one generation of such an investment.

Another element that needs to be addressed is the private sector social security system. The current system leaves much to be desired, with pensions not commensurate to contributions. News reports of fund mishandling and the use of the system as a milking cow by the executives abound. Whether this is a public relations or a real problem is immaterial. The government needs to build public trust in this institution, as well as get better executives, perhaps from the private sector, who will look out for the contributors’ best interests. A possible solution to the rampant corruption in this institution is its privatization and corporatization with its leaders answerable to a well represented midsection of the members.

Social security is important because it assures employees and entrepreneurs a fallback position should things go awry. Often, the unemployed are disheartened to try and become productive again after a bout with disability or a long period of non-productivity because they have experienced what it is like to be totally dependent and lose their dignity in the process. A reliable social security system that provides financial support within reasonable means will keep Filipinos hungry for the benefits of being independent and productive.

On leveling the playing field for the “haves” and “have nots”: minimize the cost of business registration, cut the red tape, and let the rule of law apply to everyone. This is a tall order, but it is not impossible: minimize, if not eradicate corruption in the government agencies and processes that deal directly with enterprises. For instance, computerize tax registration and payment processes by using online filing and bank to bank transfer services. Issuing of business permits can be migrated to a non-contact, electronic environment to eradicate opportunities for bribery. Let those who follow the rule of law reap the benefits of honour and obedience. 

The measures that could be undertaken to free the enterprise from the stranglehold of red tape and corruption are possibly infinite, all it would take is political will and genuine vision, as well as the desire to reach this goal through honourable means.