My conditions right now seems similiar with this comics...

Education In Malaysia: Are we producing the right human capital???

Today, when I browse and search for human capital for my literature review..
I found this article...

http://www.epu.gov.my/mdi1/mdi/files/Addressing_Issues_in_Education_23rd_May.pdf

It's too good to share with all Malaysian who always visit my blogs...We have to realise that our education still have to improve time by time...because of our system also it's hard o us compete with other countries especially in producing the best human capital....

9th meeting with supervisor

Alhamdullilah..after almost 7 months my journey have been start..my sv said to me today that I have to narrow down my topic area.Based on my explaination on reading progress, she can see that my topic can give 2 phd topic area..so she asked me to choose one from two area that I look for at the moment...Might be some minor changes into my objectives of research and my aim of study. But it's not too late anymore rather than changes after 1 year.

In begins, I plan to look up in unemployment graduates in Malaysia problem and plan to solve using knowledge sharing application.But based on my readings, I feel its too heavy and too complicated if I continue with this topic area. Furthermore,currently in my country forecasted that economic recession might be happen. It means that, unemployment graduates problems may increases and again the the methodology also should be complicated..and until now I still can't see how to find it ....When my sv asked me which area that you feel interested on- I felt that organizational issues related with knowledge sharing is most interested to me.So..my job now, you have to try investigate focusly to:

What the organizational issues that effects to knowledge sharing ??????

A few advices from my sv:
-I must remember phd study is the journey...so don't bother too much the rest of your surroundings...grab all the experiences....
-I must polish my english skills through communication,writings and listening..PLEASE darling..
-try to enhance the writing skill through submit the journal..it is not necessary to highly ranked journal...for beginner researcher like me,it's ok if can I send ordinary journals..as long as the paper will accepted...

INSYAALLAH..YA ALLAH PERMUDAHKANLAH 'PERJALANANKU INI'

Met Dr Sudi Sharifi...

Today I've met Dr Sudi Sharifi who is Director of Research Center of People,Work and Organization in MAMS.This meeting based on recommendation on my supervisor too. We had one hour discussion talk about what I'm doing about and luckily she in organizational learning area.It means she really understand my area although not in details...She is qualitative experts.She willing to share her expertise with me and I'm happy with her.In addition she also have one Oman phd students who study in similiar topics with me..oooppps not exactly same....Her students study on Factors affecting the higher education graduates appropriates to Oman's labour market.Definitely her students not touch on knowledge sharing issues because he is more on quality measurement issue besides on his (Dr Sudi's student) study....
Hopefully I'll be more clear with this discussion....yearh..you can do it Nor Intan Saniah Sulaiman...

This song have related with this tittle of blog-My Long Journey

'Perjalanan hidup ini sangat panjang....bagaikan kembara yg tiada hujungnya'

Refresh with the End Note X

Last 1 & 1/2 years ago, I did attend course regarding EndNote in my workplace(UUM,Malaysia). That course was included in 10 days-Methodology Method Course which is part of condition for those who will further study...Erm.....because of I'm not use that tools for long time ...so I decide to refresh back the bibliography management skill with Anne Sherwin today-the person incharge on EndNote X here...
Start with email to her last week(get the contact email from the Mrs Susan Baker-Librarian in Univ of Salford, who I had met last month).
Yearh..she was very helpful with me.She bring along with her the EndNote handouts because different database that we search from have different steps to manage our papers. Furthermore I'll attend her 2-hour course by this coming september to polish up my skills.

Like my spouse, he using Latex for his writings which includes bibliography management tools too, but I'm not confident with it. latex needs me good in programming skills which I'm not too expert with that skills...

Very important to me and for those have 'a long journey' like me...

Using information sources

Using information sources in a systematic and structured manner will save you a good deal of time. Developing a search strategy is vital as it provides you with an overall structure for your search and provides a record of your search history. This is an extremely useful record to have as you find yourself needing to refine or change the focus of your searching as your research develops. It can also improve the relevancy of results obtained as you have thought about keywords and synonyms and how these relate to each other.

The following are suggested steps in retrieving information:
i. Defining the information need and stating it as a question
ii. Breaking the need into its component parts
iii. Identifying synonyms and prioritising keywords
iv. Searching specific sources
v. Evaluating the information
vi. Evaluating the search process
(adapted from Constructing a Search Strategy, Duffel, 1995).

taken from
more details for every suggested steps...

http://www.library.cqu.edu.au/tutorials/litreviewpages/search.htm#searchprocess

Knowledge Sharing vs IT Tools vs Organizational Issues

Information Technology Tools

Kevin C.Desouza(2003)
Seokwoo Song(2002)
William R.King and Peter V.Marks Jr(2008)
Alex Ramirez(2007)
Pan Xing et al(2007)
Darius Hedgebeth(2007)
Chalee Vorakulpipat and Yacine Rezgui(2008)
Tsung-Ti Chen(2008)
Benson Rose et al (2007)
Jonice Oliveira et al(2003)
E.W Coakes et al (2008)
Shan L.Pang et al(2001)

Organizational Issues (Memory, Learning, Behaviours and Performances)
Chuck C.H Law and Eric W.T Ngai (2008)

M.Millie Kwan and P.Balasubramaniam(2003)
Peter Holdt Christensen(2007)
Rong Du et al (2007)
Brent M. Han and Vittal S.Anantatmula(2007)
Adel Ismail Al-Alawi et al(2007)
Steven Walczak(2005)
Birgit Renzl(2008)
Nicozaan Finestone and Retha Snyman(2005)
Johnny C.F. So and Narasimha Bolloju(2005)
Andrew L.S. Goh(2005)
Sven C. Voelpel and Zheng Han(2005)
Alexandre Perrin et al (2007)
Martin Ward (2007)
Dimitris Brachos et al(2007)
Nekane Aramburu and Josune Sa´enz (2007)
Susanne Søndergaard et al (2007)
Laila Naif Marouf(2007)
Jen-te Yang (2007)
Jen-te Yang(2008)
Angel Cabrera et al (2006)
Byounggu Choi and Heeseok Lee(2002)
Prasahnt Borida et al(2006)
Minu Ipe (2003)

the most related with Knowledge Sharing.....actually the other areas also related with the Knowledge Sharing but my searching results at the moment shows most areas was in both of this areas....

Something Right

Something Right

Never thought that I'd be so inspired
Never thought that I would find a higher truth
I believed that love was overrated
'Till the moment I found you

Now baby I know I don't deserve the love you give me
but now I understand that

**************
If you want me
I must be doing something right
I've got nothing left to prove
And it's all because of you
So if you need me and baby I make you feel alive
I know I must be doing,
Doing something right


It's because of you I feel so lifted
I've been looking at my life from higher ground
Never thought that I'd be so elated
You're the one who turned it all around

Now baby I didn't know myself until you changed me
It made me understand that

And baby I know I don't deserve the love you give me
But I don't really care 'cause..

So if you need me and baby I make you feel alive
I know I must be doing
I know I must be doing
Doing something right

the more I read the more I don't know nothing...

Actually my target must read at least 2 journals by everyday for weekdays but at this moment it just my aim...I'm still feel hard to implement that my aim...at this moment my momentum is very low.....my progress too slow...but I don't care all the people surrounds me..my sv said to me phd is not race time...

definitely my naughty feeling always feel that I'm not like others totally different....sometimes I feel I'm not so satisfied enough that I being as phd student...yes I'm always feel too humble with myself...one of this purpose of this blogs is to improve my english..I'm sure for those are english is their tongue languange of course they will laugh with my words and so on..however how do I care of them..the most important I know what I doing....I don't mind what the other people say except my sv..actually sometimes my sv's advice I feels too hard to follow...furthermore the rest!!!!!!?????

This month- July is 7th month I was here-Manchester..but I feel nothing at all....I always feel to scold to myself for being like this but the more I'm annoyed with myself...my naught act be more happen uh uh uh....ya allah help me....

Differences between World 1.0 and World 2.0

More than anything we need "Mindset 2.0" or "Thinking 2.0" - new ways of looking at and thinking about the world and seeing the opportunities to work in new innovative ways that these new technologies allow.

Here is a brief comparison of the two worlds. This thinking can be applied in business, in education and learning, to adults and to children and to government and to society. Its not just about technology!

>

World 1.0	World 2.0
Knowledge sharing and learning is imposed additional work	Knowledge sharing and social learning is a welcome natural part of people's everyday work
Work takes places behind closed doors	Work takes place transparently where everyone can see it
IT Tools are imposed on people	People select the tools that work best for them
People are controlled out of fear they will do wrong	People are given freedom in return for accepting responsibility
Information is centralized, protected and controlled	Information is distributed freely and uncontrolled
Publishing is centrally controlled	Anyone can publish what they want
Context is stripped from information	Context is retained in the form of stories
People think quietly alone	People think out loud together
People tend to write in the third person, in a professional voice	People write in the first person in their own voice
People especially those in authority are closed to new ideas and new ways of working	Everyone is open to new ideas
Information is pushed to people whether they have asked for it or not	People decide the information they need and subscribe to it
The world is seen through a Newtonian cause and effect model	The world is recognized to be complex and that different approaches are needed

Malaysia still faces ICT skills gap

By Edwin Yapp, ZDNet AsiaThursday, May 15, 2008 06:08 PM
KUALA LUMPUR--The demand for information and communications technology (ICT) jobs in Malaysia remains healthy, but graduates entering the workforce still lack certain fundamental skill sets, say industry players.
Albert Wong, chief product officer of online recruiter JobStreet.com, said there is increasing demand for IT staff from multinational corporations (MNCs), as well as local companies that are starting up their respective shared services and outsourcing (SSO) or IT centers in Malaysia.
"These companies are looking for quality fresh graduates or experienced people, and there is a shortage of supply compared to the demand," Wong told ZDNet Asia in an e-mail interview. "In terms of labor cost, Malaysia is quite competitive compared to other countries in the region."
Chai Cheng Sheng, IBM Malaysia's HR (human resource) director, said the IT job market has been very active in the past two to three years. Demand has been brisk particularly due to the setting up of regional technical support centers resulting from SSO initiatives by the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC).
"This has created a big market for IT related jobs," Chai said in an e-mail interview. "Even if the shared services set up are non-IT in nature, the centers would still need to rely on a robust IT infrastructure and a team to manage and support those functions."
Michael Meston, HR director for Intel Malaysia concurred, noting that there continue to be good job prospects in the science, technology and engineering sectors--a trend that bodes well for the country.
"Today's job seekers also realize that apart from good academic qualifications, other soft skills such as interpersonal skills, team spirit, time management, business etiquette and negotiation skills, are just as important in order to succeed [in their job]," said Meston, in an e-mail interview.
Challenges with graduates But, despite the strong demand for ICT-related skills and jobs, Jobstreet.com's Wong said there are gaps in skills needed for various technical areas. "Some candidates are just not good enough," he said.
"There are skill gaps which exist in technical areas. However, MNCs and larger companies are willing to train candidates as long as they are eager to learn," Wong said.
Also, there remains a big void in soft skills such as good communications and work attitude, which are difficult to deal with, he noted.
IBM's Chai added that besides the lack of soft skills such as the ability to communicate articulately and level of aptitude in the English language, fresh graduates in Malaysia today are not attuned to current market and business trends.
Learning about the latest technology, he noted, will not suffice if they do not know how to apply their knowledge in a practical working environment.
"Graduates need to know the current market trends and understand contemporary business needs," he explained. "The global society needs people who are equipped with deep analytical skills and have the ability to manage ambiguity."
Chai added that knowledge workers of the 21st century need cross-disciplinary programs and degrees in order to compete, but historically, universities have found it difficult to provide such programs.
In addition, he said, the industry cannot expect colleges and universities to make changes overnight. Success, Chai noted, demands open collaboration among academia, government and industry to transform the process of building this pipeline of skills.
Andre Sequerah, managing director of Aexio Technologies, said there has been a lot of emphasis on ICT in the last few years and this focus has attracted substantially more professionals to the field.
Also a co-founder of the company, which specializes in software for cellular network design, Sequerah noted that when Aexio first started in 2005, it received good response to its online recruitment ads for programmers.
"Since 2005, however, it has gotten more difficult to hire," he told ZDNet Asia in an e-mail interview. "But, it's not just a shortage of IT people; it's also about getting the right people."
Sequerah acknowledged that the Malaysian government's emphasis on the ICT has successfully attracted students to enroll in ICT courses, but he questioned whether these students are actually interested in the field itself.
"It seems that ICT is a good option [for students out of school] just because the government has been promoting it," he said.
Sequerah said this is further compounded by the fact that there is inadequate skills quality, and the industry will end up with a work force that needs retraining just to meet a minimum standard.
The problem, he suggested, needs to be tackled from all sectors: the individual, the universities and industry, alongside the government's current workforce programs.
"Individuals need greater exposure to what an ICT career really entails, and universities need to improve on the quality of their programs," he said.

Edwin Yapp is a freelance IT writer based in Malaysia.

references : Jobstreer.com http://blog.jobstreet.com/malaysia/

increase credibilty and confidence

EXECUTIVE presence may be hard to define, but most people know it when they see it.
Do you have it? If you think you don’t, or if you would like to increase your credibility and confidence, consider the following tips:
1 Your gestures can support or sabotage what you say
Gestures and mannerisms can either convince your audience of your sincerity or antagonise them. Imagine yourself in an airport, with conversations going on all around you, and you are engaged in a farewell to a friend.
All of a sudden, the man and woman next to you begin to wave their arms dramatically, their fingers urgently punching the air.
Immediately, your attention is diverted from your own conversation to this couple.
Why is it that their words do not distract you, but their gestures do? That is the power of gestures and mannerisms. Often, gestures speak louder than words.
You may be completely serious, passionate and confident about what you have to say, but your audience may perceive you as insincere because of poor eye contact, slouched posture, a bored expression or weak gestures.
2 Be conscious of what your body language says
Your upper-body posture is controlled primarily by what you do with your arms. Your posture and your gestures are difficult to separate. They make a total statement.
I work with many people who are completely unaware of their body language until they see themselves on video for the first time.
For example, some people stand with their head intensely protruding forward as if they are about to scold the audience.
Others stand in a slouched position as though they are exhausted from marching through the desert for days without rest.
Then there are those who hug, pat, and squeeze themselves when they speak.
Still others either stand rigid as if locked in a straitjacket or sway back and forth as if they are a shy teenager about to ask their first date to the prom.
Look at yourself in the mirror and see how it feels to stand with your arms relaxed loosely at your side or with your elbows slightly bent. It may feel awkward, but it does not look awkward.
Simply stand there, looking in the mirror, and get used to the various postures that both look and feel appropriate so that you do not feel awkward with that same natural posture, gesture or stance in front of a group.
3 Add volume to increase authority
In many societies, little girls are taught that loud voices are not feminine, whereas little boys learn no such inhibitions. As a result, women often have problems with speaking loudly enough.
In today’s business arena, wimpy voices get little attention.
Consider the extreme. When someone shouts, everyone turns to look — regardless of what is being said. Volume gets attention.
Remember that your voice always sounds louder to you than to anyone else. Take another person’s word for it when he says you need to speak up.
Also remember that your voice is an instrument. It needs to be warmed up, or it will creak and crack at the beginning of your presentation.
If you warm up with a high volume, as though projecting to those in the back row, your volume also will improve your vocal quality.
Volume adds energy to your voice — it has the power to command or lose listeners’ attention.
4 Lower pitch to increase credibility
Pitch, the measurement of the “highness” or “lowness” of your voice, is determined largely by the amount of tension in the vocal cords.
When you are under stress, you may sound high-pitched.
When you are relaxed and confident, you will have a naturally lower pitch.
Authoritative vocal tones are low and calm, not high and tense.
Inflection is a pitch change — from a “Stop!” screeched at an assailant to the haughty “Please stop!” directed at a stranger using your department’s photocopy machine.
You can lower your pitch to some degree by practising scales (as singers do, dropping the voice with each word) and by breathing more deeply to relax your vocal cords.
Remember that a lower pitch conveys power, authority and confidence, whereas a high pitch conveys insecurity and nervousness.
5 Identify weaknesses in your vocal quality
Vocal quality refers to characteristics such as a breathy sound, tense harshness, hoarseness, nasal tones or a deep, resonant, solemn sound.
Vocal quality is also measured by weaknesses such as slurring of words, over- or under-articulating certain sounds or accents, and so forth.
Being aware of these shortcomings can help you correct some of them. Others may require the help of a voice coach.
Pay attention to these tips as you prepare for your next presentation, and you will be on your way to becoming a speaker with a captive audience.
– Source: Straits Times/Asia News Network
Article by Dianna Booher, author of 40 books and chief executive officer of Booher Consultants, a communication training firm.
-->

reference: StarJob Online

Hire the right people

JOBS, just like unhappy marriages, can also end in “divorce”. If any “unhappily employed” people work for you, you know the problem is expensive to fix.
So, why don’t companies invest more to find and keep good employees? Proper recruiting and interviewing pays high dividends. A comprehensive hiring programme lets managers increase the depth of their talent pool and select the best.
To maximise your hiring results, you need to focus on who you really want. This includes a candidate’s job responsibilities and how he or she will complement your existing team and your vision and values. Once you have defined the position and appropriate qualities and skills, the search is on!
However, a frustrating aspect of the hiring process was best described by a manager who said: “I am supposed to find out everything about everyone, but I can’t ask them anything.”
Here is how to use some unorthodox methods to ease your frustration and increase your hiring percentage.
1 Recruiting strategy
The process starts with recruiting: always be on the lookout for talented people and use unconventional sources.
A discouraged restaurant owner approached me after a presentation and said: “I place want ads every week and can’t find dishwashers for my restaurants.”
We tried a different tactic — index cards were placed on bulletin boards in laundromats within walking distance to his restaurants. They were written in English, Spanish and Vietnamese with directions to his establishment. Four candidates showed up the next day — one with his own rubber gloves!
Today it takes tenacity, creativity and tweaking of your existing systems to find great employees.
2 The "knockout question
The next step is the interview. List targeted questions for the first and each subsequent interview to keep track of what you have asked. Assign different people to ask appropriate questions and cover salient issues as you dig deeper into the prospects’ qualifications at different phases of the interview.
One of your most powerful tools is the “knockout question”, designed to eliminate someone who can’t perform the job. I experienced this type of question once, ending an interview in five minutes.
After a couple of warm-up questions, the interviewer casually asked how I felt about heights. As my palms started to sweat, I asked her to explain. She said the position required meeting clients at the top of skyscrapers under construction — no windows, no walls!
“Thank you for your time,” I said, and I left! Why bother asking me about my greatest strength only to discover my fear of heights later?
Sometimes the candidate might lie just to get the job, hoping to change the conditions once hired. To eliminate this situation, you can fine-tune your knockout questions.
The interviewer asks: “Will you travel or work weekends?” The candidate’s response is, “Yes, or whatever it takes to get the job done.” But you really don’t know the truth.
Another way to craft the question is to describe the job and ask: “How much travel do you think would be needed for this job?” If the interviewee says: “Three days a month would be needed,” and the job requires travel three days a week, you have the wrong candidate.
3 The tested question
Another type of question is the “payoff” or “tested” question. A construction company that builds everything from corporate campuses to amusement park rides seems to have mastered this type of question.
When interviewing site managers, the company stresses client relations. In addition to functional qualifications and management responsibilities, the right person must liaise with Fortune 500 clients.
The interviewer simply says: “We believe in customer delight.” If candidates roll their eyes or flash a look that says: “This is one of those warm-and-fuzzy companies,” they just blew it!
The company discovered the statement by accident and finds that it is a better indicator than 100 questions about customer service.
Hiring great people is one of the most powerful yet overlooked retention tools. Good associates are exhilarated and eager to work with other good people. Involve your employees in the process, seek their advice, and watch your retention rates increase.
Remember, people judge you by the company you keep and your organisation judges you by the people you hire. Maybe hiring the right person is not as important as marrying the right one, but if you don’t, it can make for a miserable relationship.

– Source: Straits Times/Asia News Network
Article by Mike Hourigan, the author of Riding The Waves without Getting Wet. He delivers ideas on mastering change at the workplace to global executives

RESOURCES: STARJOBS ONLINE

Meeting with Librarian...

Had meeting with nice and calm person, Mrs Sue Baker(Salford Business School Liason in Salford Library) regarding how to search the abstract and indexing more effective and wisely.Thank you so much to my sv to told me about this.If not, I always couldn't found the most relevance when I'm do my searching, sometimes no fulltext for the paper at all. How frustrated I am when I found the best title but no softcopy there....Hopefully with the right techniques I will find more and more and more academic journals and academic papers regarding on my research....yearh I can do it.....Thank you Mrs Sue...