National Instruments secures land in Batu Maung for Penang operations

Last year, I chanced upon a press conference by US-based multi-national company National Instruments to announce their investment of USD80 million in Penang. So this year, it should be appropriate that I follow up on this matter.

Yesterday, National Instruments' vice-president of manufacturing Rob Poterfield (the one shaking hands, on the right) was in Penang to ink a land lease agreement with the Penang Development Corporation. The occasion was witnessed by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P Ramasamy.

At a press conference after the event, Poterfield said that about 1,500 jobs would be created when they begin recruiting workers for its planned research and development facility in Batu Maung. Those recruited would be sent for extensive on-the-job training at the National Instruments headquarters in Austin, Texas, for a year.

“We have secured 6.8ha of land in Batu Maung for the facility which cost us about RM36mil. We hope the site can be ready by next year. The company is developing the facility as part of our ongoing plan to expand our global operations."

"Malaysia offers an exceptionally skilled workforce that can help National Instruments provide engineers and scientists with the hardware and software they need to develop the innovative applications that are improving our world," said Robert Canik, vice-president of R&D for instrument and distributed control at National Instruments. "This talent-rich environment was a key factor in selecting Malaysia, and Penang in particular, as the site for our new R&D operations facility, and we are excited that the people of Penang will be an integral part of our companys success."

The company develops and manufactures software as well as hardware for engineers and scientists. Poterfield said the recruitment included posts in manufacturing, product development, R&D, shared services, information technology and finance. “In the next few years we plan to invest about RM280mil in Penang,” Poterfield said.

"National Instruments is bringing high-value jobs to Penang and we are confident that the people here have the training and aptitude necessary to deliver tremendous value to National Instruments," said Guan Eng. "Penang offers many resources that make it a competitive business environment, and we are pleased that National Instruments is making such a significant contribution here."

Courtesy of Quah, Seng-Sun

National Instruments investing USD 80 million in Penang Plant

Two days ago, I briefly dropped by the ballroom at Hotel Equatorial to witness a press conference called by US-based National Instruments to announce their investment of USD80 million into their new facilities in Penang.

I was a bit late so I did not get to see the Chief Minister speak but I learnt later that National Instruments would be setting up their new R&D and operations facilities on a 6.8-hectare site on the island. It's targeted to employ about 1,500 people when it opens in 2010 but of course, spill-over effect on the local economy - SMEs and other support services - will benefit even more of the local population. I also learnt that this million-dollar deal was only sealed 17 days earlier so I'm quite impressed by the speed with which this announcement was made public. There's a will shown by the state government to get things moving fast. I like it: it's professional.

The plant will be NI's first in the Asean region and third major global operations centre. NI president and CEO Dr James Truchard (left) said their management team had visited many countries and finally settled on Penang because of the environment, highly skilled workforce and the close proximity of the plant to the Asian market. "Our goal is to be a major centre of manufacturing and R&D globally by 2015 when the plant is running at full capacity."

And their CFO and senior VP of manufacturing and IT operations, Alex Devern (right), added that Penang was selected because of the availability of electrical and electronics resources. "We anticipate that by 2015, this site will be capable of generating 40 percent of global revenue amounting to approximately US$650 million annually."

NI is a global leader in computer-based measurement and automation hardware with its headquarters in Austin, Texas. It has more than 5,000 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries.

Courtesy of Quah, Seng-Sun

Shad Faruqi’s article on Perak crisis becoming a “hydra-headed monster”

Professor Shad Faruqi’s latest Star weekly column “Reflecting on the Law” on “Put interest of the nation first” and how the Perak crisis has become a “hydra-headed monster” should be compulsory reading for the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his Cabinet.

Shad Faruqi has made many points which I had tried in the past three -and-a-half months to communicate to the Prime Minister and the Barisan Nasional leaders but to no avail.

For instance, Shad Faruqi started his article thus:

“THE Perak political crisis can be likened to a malignant cancer that is voraciously spreading to the lymph nodes of our other institutions – the Sultanate, the judiciary, the federal executive, the civil service, the police, the law officers of the Crown, the court registry, the Anti-Corruption Com­­mission and the Election Commission.

The longer we wait, the farther the affliction will spread. It is time, therefore, to stop this madness, this divisiveness, this polarisation.”

One consistent point I had made for over three months is that the constitutional and political impasse has precipitated a new crisis of confidence in credibility, legitimacy and integrity of all the key national institutions of the country, whether the police, election commission, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency, the civil service, the judiciary or the monarchy and impaired Malaysia’s international image and competitiveness to face up to the world’s worst economic crisis in a century.

In March, I had invoked the imagery of “Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burns” to deplore Najib’s failure to act boldly to end the protracted political and constitutional crisis in the face of the world economic crisis.

Shad Faruqi is now invoking the same imagery when he said:

The country as a whole is more important than the fate of Barisan or Pakatan in Perak.

In Rome, Nero played the fiddle while the city burned. We should not allow that to happen to us.

Perak politicians have no right to paralyse the rest of the country or to distract us from the many urgent and daunting tasks staring us in the face.

Najib should take heed and he should take responsibility for the unethical, undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional power grab he had orchestrated in early February by agreeing to dissolve the Perak state assembly to return the mandate to Perakians to elect the government of their choice.

In February 20, I had called for the swift and democratic resolution of the Perak crisis to avoid months of stand-off and stalemate in the Perak political and constitutional crisis – in a manner which could be accepted by all Perakians without poisoning the Malaysian body politic for years and decades so that national energies could be mobilized to face the looming economic crisis.

If my proposal for a snap Perak state elections to held within 30 days had been acted upon by Najib, the Perak political and constitutional crisis would be behind the state and nation for more than two months!

As Shaq Faruqi has perceptively pointed out, the courts cannot supply any satisfactory solutions to the Perak political and constitutional crisis.

Najib should not drag his feet any longer but rise to the occasion to agree to the dissolution of the Perak State Assembly so that the crisis could be behind all Perakians and Malaysians within 30 days.

Courtesy of Lim Kit Siang

You're a funny man, Mr Minister

Parliament : Cops scared of crooks, so based closed!

Title published in the Star - Thursday, October 16 2008

The following story from the Star made my start to the weekend all that better (and funnier) coming from our dear Mr Minister of Internal Affairs (MahaRaja Lawak Msia) in a written response to a question in Parliament:-

 

KUALA LUMPUR:

A police beat base in the Chow Kit area of downtown Kuala Lumpur was closed down

 

Why you ask?

………because it was in a location that was considered unsafe,. said Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar

 

And what else?

In a written reply to Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohamad Ghazali (PAS-Titiwangsa), Syed Hamid said the beat base was located in a dirty areawhere there was a possibility of being exposed to contagious diseases.

 

Dirty area? Contagious disease? And?

 

The presence of criminals also posed a threat to the safety of police officers, he said.

 

Syed Hamid said that the police were looking for a new location to build a police beat base that would be able to give “guaranteed and continued service to the public.”

 

You mean in other places where it is in a clean area, not exposed to contagious disease and not posed a threat to the Police? In other words, the Cops are only for show and to look pretty? And only for arresting or pinning down politicians and other pressure groups?

 

You’re a funny man, Mr Minister…..

Resigning with Class

How to Diplomatically Resign From Your Job

Are you preparing to resign from your current job? Some job-seekers have a hard time doing so, either because they love the job and their co-workers or because they can't stand the job and can't wait to leave. Curious? Then read on.

Strategies for Resigning with Class
The most important job-search rule to remember when resigning from any job is that you never want to leave on bad terms -- if possible. Courtesy, etiquette, and professionalism go a long way. So, as much as you may want to tell off your boss or a co-worker, you should never burn any bridges. And don't spend time bragging to co-workers about your great new opportunity. Job-hunting is a funny process, and you never know when you'll run smack right into your former supervisor, a former co-worker, or a former employer through a merger or other circumstance.

So, once you are ready to announce your resignation, how can you make as smooth a transition from your current employer to your new one? You'll again want to act professionally -- and follow company guidelines. Specifically, you need to consider:

• Timing. Give enough notice. The standard notice has traditionally been one to two months, but you should consult your employee handbook in case your employer expects more (or less) advance warning.
  
• Negotiating. Be sure to get a fair settlement for any outstanding salary, vacation (and sick and personal) days, and commission payments or other compensation due to you.
  
• Hiring. Offer to help your current employer find your replacement.
  
• Training. Volunteer to train or work with your replacement to show him or her “the ropes.”
  
• Working. Don't disappear during the last weeks on the job. Stay an active member of the team. Avoid taking a short-timer's attitude or aligning yourself with any discontented co-workers.
  
• Completing. Be sure to do your best to complete all open assignments and leave detailed progress reports for your supervisor and co-workers.
  
• Leaving. Before walking out the door for the last time, be sure you have contact information for key supervisors and co-workers that you want to keep part of your network of contacts -- and be sure to thank them again for their support.

Here are some other issues you need to be prepared for once you announce your resignation:

• Escorted out of the building. In some industries and with some professions (such as sales), once an employee resigns, the employer asks the person to leave on the spot. Be prepared for this scenario by clearing personal files and removing personal software from your computer, removing personal information and belongings, and getting your workspace organized.
  
• Guilt from co-workers or your boss. It's only natural, especially if you are leaving an unpleasant work environment, that your co-workers may be a bit envious and try to make you feel a little guilty. And no matter how great your boss may be, s/he may also make you feel a little guilty for "deserting" the team. Try not to let these things bother you; instead, concentrate on making the final weeks/days pleasant and professional.
  
• A counter-offer to entice you to stay. Be very wary of counteroffers. No matter how good it makes your ego feel to have your current employer respond with a counteroffer, most career experts advise against taking it because studies show that the vast majority of employees who accept counteroffers from current employers aren't in those jobs for very long. Whether the employer admits it or not, your dedication will be questioned, and once that happens, your time on the job is limited. It's better to tactfully decline the offer and focus on your new job with your new employer.
  
• An exit interview. Some employers like to have all departing employees meet with someone from the human resources department for an exit interview. Be careful -- but be professional. Some employers want to know the "real" reason you are leaving. Again, remember not to burn any bridges by saying anything negative or petty.
  

Writing a Professional Resignation Letter

What should you do once you've made the decision to take a job with another employer? You should take the time to write a letter of resignation to your current employer. It's best to have written documentation of your resignation and planned last day of work.

The most important thing to remember when writing your letter of resignation is to be professional -- there is just no sense in making enemies. Regardless of whether you loved or hated your job or your employer, the outcome should be the same: a short, polite, and professional letter stating your intention to leave.

People leave their jobs for all sorts of reasons, and you certainly do not need to provide any details on why you are leaving the company. Resignation letters are a courtesy to your employer, so you simply need to state that you are leaving your current position to pursue other opportunities.

As you are composing your letter, please again remember that your job history follows you around, and that frequently the world is much smaller than we think. You never ever want to leave on bad terms with any employer -- mainly because doing so could come back to haunt you later in your career.

When should you submit your letter of resignation? And to whom? You should submit your resignation one or two months before your planned resignation date (depending on company/profession policy). And you should submit the letter/memo to your direct supervisor, with a copy to your human resources office.

What exactly should you say in your letter of resignation? Here's a basic outline:

First Paragraph: State your intention of quitting your job and leaving the company. Give a specific last day of work.

Second paragraph: If you feel comfortable, give a reason why you are leaving -- relocating, better job, career change, graduate school, etc. Or, reinforce your value by mentioning your key accomplishments with the employer (though doing so may trigger a counter offer).

Third Paragraph: Thank both your supervisor and the company for the opportunities you had working for them. Be sure to end the letter on a positive note.

One final note: Assuming you leave on a positive note with your supervisor and co-workers, once you have settled into your new job, remember to contact your former supervisor and co-workers and give them your updated contact information so that you can continue to keep them as a part of your job search network (because you never know when you'll be job-hunting again).

Good luck!

***courtesy of kamsol said***

I work with little green men

Bosses and supervisors aren’t from another planet, but sometimes they seem to be.

If you deal with the boss from hell, you will know. Conflict between a difficult boss and an employee can be daunting and intimidating.

Here are some tips to help you deal with difficult bosses and supervisors.

Most people at some point in their lives have to deal with a difficult boss. Difficult supervisors vary in personality from being a little pushy or rude, all the way to being downright abusive.

Many people feel that an abusive boss has control on their personal life outside of work by lowering their self-esteem and making them live in constant fear.

The role of a supervisor sometimes attracts certain controlling-type personalities because they crave the power it gives them and because they lack such control in their own personal lives. A supervisor has complete control over your most basic human needs—your ability to put food on the table and a roof over your head. These are powerful motivating factors that allow a difficult supervisor to control people out of fear of losing these basic needs. We may not be able to always correct their behavior, but we should never have to live in fear and let our difficult boss control our lives.

Here are some strategies on handling a difficult boss situation.

1. Always have a plan B.
Most people are scared about having a discussion with their boss concerning their abusive behavior because they fear reprimand or losing their job as a result of it. Their fear is usually justified if the supervisor is a control-freak and feels that their subordinate is threatening their control. Before you deal with any type of conflict, you always need to have a plan B in case things don’t work out. A plan B is the best alternative that you can come up without having to negotiate anything with your boss. In this type of scenario, your best plan B would probably take the form of having an actual job offer in hand with another employer before you have your talk. By not having a back-up plan, you have given your abusive boss even more leverage over you because they know you have no where else to go. Having a plan B, however, empowers you with the ability to walk-away at any time should the negotiation not go right. Increase your power and have a plan B before you deal with the conflict.

2. Never react to verbal abuse or harsh criticism with emotion.
This will always get you into more trouble than you started with because it will become a war between egos and chances are good that your boss has a bigger ego than you have—hence why he is difficult in the first place. When a personal attack is made on you, they are trying to bait you into reacting emotionally because once you react, you become an easy target for additional attacks. The key then is not to react, but to acknowledge and move on. By doing this, you effectively strip all of the power behind their verbal attacks away from your abusive boss, without creating conflict. If your boss happens to be an intimidator or a control freak, then the best way of dealing with their behavior is to remain calm and acknowledge their power by saying, “You’re right, I’m sorry.” By saying this, you take away any chance of them lashing back at you because you have sidestepped their verbal attack rather than meeting it head on.

3. Discuss rather than confront.
When your boss criticizes you, don’t react out of emotion and become confrontational with them about it because that just breeds more conflict. Instead, use their criticism as a topic for discussion on interests, goals, and problem-solving and ask them for their advice. If they criticize your work, then that means that they have their own idea on how that work should be done, so ask them for their advice on how your work can be improved.

4. Manage the manager.
A source of conflict usually occurs when a group of employees gets a new manager who demands that things run differently. These changes are usually reactionary in nature because the employees go about their regular duties until the manager comes by and criticizes the way it is being done. Instead of waiting for their criticism, take a proactive approach and be absolutely clear from the very beginning on how your boss wants things to be done so that there is no miscommunication later on. There are many ways of completing a task and having a discussion about them at the very beginning will allow you to see things from their perspective as well as sharing your own with them. Get to know their likes and dislikes inside and out so that you can avoid future criticisms.

5. Know that you can do little to change them.
Being a difficult person is part of their personality and therefore it is a very difficult, if not impossible thing to change in a supervisor, so don’t think that you can change how they act. Instead, change the way that you view their behavior. Don’t label them as being a jerk–just merely label them as your boss. By avoiding derogatory labeling, you avoid making it easy on yourself to be angry with your boss. Stop Creating Conflict. It’s better to prevent unnecessary conflict than to manage conflict once the flames have started.

6. Keep your professional face on.
Know the difference between not liking your boss and not being professional. You don’t have to make your boss your friend or even like your boss as a person, but you do have to remain professional and get the job done and carry out their instructions dutifully as a subordinate, just as you would expect them to be professional in their duties as a supervisor.

7. Evaluate your own performance.
Before you go attacking your boss, examine your own performance and ask yourself if you are doing everything right. Get opinions from other co-workers about your performance and see if there is any warrant to the criticisms of your supervisor before you criticize their opinions.

8. Gather additional support.
If others share in your concern, then you have the power of numbers behind you to give you additional persuasion power over your boss. It is often easy for a supervisor to ignore or attack one employee, but it becomes more difficult to attack all of his employees. He might be able to fire one of you, but he will look like an idiot (and probably get fired himself) if he tries to fire all of you. An inter-department union is a good way of mustering power against an abusive employer.

9. Don’t go to up the chain of command unless it’s a last resort.
Going straight up the chain of command is not an effective way of dealing with a difficult supervisor because it only increases conflict in the workplace. Your immediate supervisor will consider this a very serious backstabbing maneuver and might seek some sort of retribution in the future against you and your career. Also, other people in your workplace might brand you as a whistle-blower because of your actions. Try to discuss issues with your supervisor first and only go up the chain of command as a last resort.

10. Encourage good behavior with praise.
It is easy to criticize your superiors, but criticisms often lead towards resentment and hostile feelings. Everyone likes a pat on the back for good behavior, so you should strive to watch for good behaviors from your supervisor and compliment them on that. Proactive praising is much more effective than reactive criticisms.

11. Document everything.
If you choose to stay with a toxic employer, then document everything. This will become your main ammunition should a complaint ever be filed down the road. Document interactions with them as well as your own activities so that you can remind them of your own achievements at performance review time.

12. Leave work at work.
Get into the habit of leaving work at home and not bringing it into your personal life because that will only add to your level of stress. Keep your professional life separate from your personal life as best as you can. This also includes having friends who you don’t work with so that you can detach yourself from your work life rather than bringing it home with you.

***article courtesy of streetfighter & kamsol said***

unLicensed to Grill

Life for microwave baby killer

A mother who murdered her one-month-old daughter by burning her to death in a microwave oven has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

China Arnold, 28, was spared the death penalty when the jury in Dayton, Ohio failed to reach a consensus.

Prosecutors said Arnold, who maintains she is innocent, killed her daughter in 2005 after a fight with her boyfriend.

Judge Mary Wiseman said the crime was "shocking and utterly abhorrent for a civilised society".

"No adjectives exist to adequately describe this heinous atrocity," Judge Wiseman said, rejecting a plea by Arnold's lawyers for a sentence that allowed the possibility of parole after 25 years in prison.

Arnold was not in court to hear her sentence, but followed proceedings by video-link from a side room.

Cell confession

The court had heard that China Arnold had argued with her boyfriend Terrell Talley about whether he was the biological father of baby Paris.

Officials investigating the case said Paris Talley had suffered high-heat internal burns but had no external marks.

Prosecutors said that the baby's DNA had been found inside the microwave in Arnold's apartment.

Arnold's cellmate told the court that she had confessed to putting her daughter in the microwave and switching it on, because she was afraid that her boyfriend would leave her if he discovered that he was not the baby's father.

The defence team said that there was evidence that somebody else was responsible for Paris Talley's death, and that the cellmate had now changed her story.

Arnold's lawyers now want a third trial. The first hearing was declared a mistrial when new witnesses came forward.

Arnold "has faith in the system, she is strong and will continue to fight until her innocence is proven", said her lawyer Jon Paul Rion.

***courtesy of kamsol said***

Amusing or requiring serious attention?

School uniform sexy, says group

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian group condemned the uniform worn by girls at government schools, saying it encouraged rape and pre-marital sex.

“The white blouse is too transparent for girls and it becomes a source of attraction,” National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia vice-president Munirah Bahari said in a statement.

“It becomes a distraction to men, who are drawn to it, whether or not they like looking at it,” she said, calling for a review of uniform policy so that it did not violate Islamic ideals.

In multicultural Malaysia, home to majority-Muslim Malays as well as ethnic Chinese and Indians, female students at government schools have a choice of wearing a white blouse with a knee-length skirt or pinafore.

They may also wear a “baju kurung” and a headscarf is optional for Malay students.

Munirah said that “covering up” according to Islamic precepts was important to fend off social ills, including “rape, sexual harassment and even premarital sex.”

“This leads to babies born out of wedlock and, to an extent, even prostitution,” she said.

“Decent clothes which are not revealing can prevent and protect women from any untoward situations,” she said, suggesting that girls wear a blouse of a different colour or with an undergarment.

However, the girls themselves also came in for criticism, with the association saying that some used the white blouse to lure men.

“This is the source of the problem, where we can see that schoolgirls themselves are capable of using this to attract men to them,” Munirah said.

“This could see them getting molested, having premarital sex and all sorts of things.” – AFP

***courtesy of kamsol said***