Showing posts with label recession survival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recession survival. Show all posts

McKinsey: What next 10 questions for CFO ?

Saw an article: What next 10 questions for CFO ? on McKinsey..

It gives a glimpse on what a CFO is going to do to survive recession and financial crisis..
  • What shape will a recovery take?
  • Have you restructured enough?
  • Is your supply chain sufficiently flexible?
  • Do you have a short list of acquisition targets ready?
  • Should you restart conversations with potential alliance partners?
  • Are you ready to divest newly underperforming businesses?
  • Do you have the financial resources needed for an upturn?
  • Have you taken advantage of the buyers’ market for talent and other resources?
  • Do you know what risks a recovery might bring?
  • Can you sell your recovery plan to investors?

Recession Survival Guide - Ireland

Ireland’s Financial Regulator has come out with a useful Recession Survival Guide.

Some highlights:
Managing on Less Money
Step 1: Financial Health Check
Step 2: Budget Planner
Step 3: Cost Comparisons

Dealing with Redundancy (meaning being laid off) :
Redundancy information
Mortgage Repayment Protection

Dealing with Debt:
Credit Card Comparison
Debt Consolidation

This is really cool ! I like the Cost Comparisons, Redundancy Information and Credit Card Comparison especially. They go to such extent to provide information to help its peoples in recession.

You may wish to explore around. It’s really an insightful website on cost cutting.
However, there are peoples who argue that this may set off a deflationary cycle and make things worse. True also..

I think the key theme is "spend necessarily, spend smart and look for value deals".
The website cuts information cost for such value deals.

Resources for shareholder activism - Hermes Principles and the example of People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)

In this time of recession/financial downturn, we see lots of frauds on listed companies, majority shareholders trying to buy out and delist companies at cheap price, actions by majority companies that are detrimental to minority shareholders’ welfare etc..

Ever wonder, can minority shareholders do something to protect themselves from onslaught of these companies’ management ?

Shareholder activism is the answer.

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) has a good write-up and resources on shareholder activism. There are proponents and opponents on shareholder activism. Some research reports are available in the website which argue on different angles.

Hermes (which is also featured in ECGI website above) has come out with Hermes Principles for corporate governance.

These are the principles concerning requirement that companies be run in the long term interest of shareholders. Read the PDF files for details. Its principles are on:
1. Communication
2. Financial
3. Strategic
4. Social, Ethical and Environment.

These principles can be a guideline for minority shareholders to ask companies’ management to adhere to.

In reality, companies’ management often doesn’t heed the opinions of minority shareholders.
What then should minority shareholders do ?

We can take a look at Korea’s shareholder activist group :
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)
One of its articles in the website mentions some basic methods for shareholder activism: (read the article as it comes with examples and resources)

Participating in the Corporate Decision Making Process
1. Attending Shareholders Meetings
2. Shareholder Proposals
3. Proxy Solicitations
4. Convening Extraordinary Shareholders Meetings
5. Policy Recommendations

Preventive Measures and Monitoring the Behavior of Management
1. Inspection of Books and Records, Appointment of Inspectors Demands to Cease Illegal Activities
2. Injunctions to Prevent Illegal Acts of Management
3. Policy Recommendations
4. Holding Management Accountable for Their Conduct

Shareholder Derivative Actions
1. Criminal or Administrative Complaints
2. Demanding the Dismissal of Responsible Officers.
3. Policy Recommendations

Shareholders, unite ! :)

Fraud prevention – information from Commercial Affair Department Singapore

Commercial Affair Department Singapore’s website has a lot of useful information on fraud prevention. I’m amazed with the many types of scams/frauds.

Some resources:

Crime alerts

Examples of scams/frauds:
Job Application Scam
Lottery/Lucky Draw scam
Kidnap scam
Impersonation scam
Elderly gold scam
Apple scam
Government welface scam
Counterfeit currency/credit card scam
Renovation scam
Rental scam

Crime prevention advice
The PDF files at the bottom are good reads.
More frauds/scams..

Press releases on scams/frauds

Other information:
links to MAS’s MoneySense – Protect Yourself Against Bogus Investment Opportunities
link

Singtel *127 Crime Alert SMS. (Wonder what is the cost ?)
link

Many of these scams/frauds are operated internationally. Therefore, it is good to explore internationally on other countries’ regulators/legal enforcers’ website for information on scams/frauds.

Really scary.. The real world is like "a jungle out there". Equip yourself with fraud prevention knowledge.

Fraud prevention – don't take risk dealing with unlicensed financial operators (Malaysia)

In this time of financial crisis/recession,
be extra careful of frauds.
For recession survival, beware of frauds.

Bank Negara Malaysia has some useful information which is useful to prevent potential financial fraud.
From its "Hyperlink",
we can find lists of licensed :
banking institutions,
insurance companies & Takaful operators,
dealers of foreign currency,
money changers,
non-bank remittance operators,
issuers of credit cards, charge cards, e-money, remittance services providers,
loss adjusters,
insurance brokers, Takaful brokers,
financial advisers.

Be very vigilant of having transactions with unlicensed financial operators.
Though they may not necessarily fraudsters, don’t take the risk.
It’s a matter of "what if".

Consumer may be more legally protected when he is dealing with licensed ones.
However, due diligence is still needed, especially if large amount of money is involved.


Bank Negara Malaysia’s website has also
"Financial Consumer alerts".

Check occasionally on Financial Consumer Alerts.

Among the ones mentioned:
Unauthorised withdrawals,
Misuse of BNM’s name,
Get-Rich-Quick schemes,
Warnings about companies, for e.g. G-Gold Gallery, PureInvestor.com Inc., Swiss Cash/Swiss Mutual Fund.

Check also on press release.
You will be able to see, for examples:
Sunshine Empire charged for illegal deposit taking;
Walton International Property Group raided..

These advices may save us from potential frauds.

A Manager’s Guide to Creative Cost Cutting – 181 Ways to Build the Bottom Line


In recession, what should a company do to survive ?

One of the ways is by cutting cost.
Cost cutting or building bottom line should be done at all times, not only when times are bad.
However, a manager should try with all his mights especially in recession before he admits defeats by laying off staffs or even filing for bankruptcies.

There is this book "A Manager’s Guide to Creative Cost Cutting – 181 Ways to Build the Bottom Line", written by David W. Young.

The book provides 181 ways for a manager to brainstorm on, with historical examples that works.

I put this book into my "Recession booklist" at near bottom of my blog.

Check this book out. It maybe the book that you need for your company to cut cost or for your boss to do a better job in cost cutting.

Recession Survival Guide – compiled by Harvard Business Publishing

Recession (or even Depression), economic downturn, financial crisis/tsunami/meltdown, layoffs, foreclosures, bankruptcies, frauds, ….etc… the list goes on..

We are bombarded by headlines of these words in media everyday.
What should we do in this critical moment ?

Harvard Business Publishing has compiled a "Recession Survival Guide".
website

Its many articles are divided into sections of:
1. voices on the recession
2. how to cope
3. how to lead
4. keep innovating
5. perspectives

I wish to search for ways to survive on this recession.

If you have ideas on Recession Survival, feel free to share with me here.

SmartPengguna - a website to compare product prices in Supermarket Stores in KL, Selangor


Heard from Malaysia news today, there is this website called SmartPengguna.
website

I found this website useful.

This website is useful to compare prices of products sold in Supermarket Stores (Carrefour, Giant, Jusco, Mydin, TESCO) in Wilayah Persekutuan KL (Federal Territory) and Selangor. Carrefour, Giant, Jusco, Mydin, TESCO are the main Supermarket Stores in Malaysia.

We can select the Supermarket Stores near to our home and select the products to be compared (currently there are 8 categories available). Note the date/time the information is updated.
We can also get Ministry news and user generated articles from the "News, Articles, Feedback, Q&A" portion.

This type of website is useful to reduce information cost/information asymmetry. Consumer can compare the prices first before taking a trip to the Supermarket Stores. But the pre-requisite is the information has to be accurate and updated frequently. The cost of getting information to this website should not be too high, otherwise this website will not be sustainable.

If you like the concept of SmartPengguna as a way to save and survive in recession, check out my other posts on recession survival and fraud prevention too.

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Disclaimer

Disclaimer:
The opinion post on this blog is personal and is not an inducement to buy or sell any investment products. The author of this blog will NOT be held responsible for any losses incurred due to the reliance on any content of this blog for investment decisions.