Brian's Sight

PIN card, Alstublieft.

今日新聞: 為提高安全性, PIN Cards將全面升級以新一代晶片卡替代

相信在歐洲生活的同學們都知道食衣住行樣樣都要靠Pin才能付款, 如果你出門不想帶現金的話. 雖然有些店會酌收一點點手續費(<15 Cents), 這種現金卡在歐洲還是很風行. 信用卡由於手續費高, 根據我觀察的結果實際使用頻率並不高, 不過小氣的荷蘭人還是以現金付款居多, 每每在各大超市百貨公司見到零錢掏半天的場景, 害我常常想衝動幫他刷一下><".

回到正題, 安全性是否能因科技升級而獲得改善, 這種說法本來就值得商榷, 畢竟到高一尺魔高一丈. 相反地, 帶動科技升級的卻常常都是這些非正途的應用, 比方說色情網站造就eBusiness, Skype的始祖是Kazza影音交流等等, 充其量這只能說是另一種行銷手法, 更有甚者, 是為遂行其"劫"取客戶消費紀錄, 美化侵害消費隱私權惡行的技倆罷了.

順便提供一則阿六仔搞Kuso:
Chipnip卡自己冲值！！自己动手，丰衣足食！！！

註: Chipnip是歐洲一種類似儲值卡的小額付款機制, 常用在停車費及咖啡零食販賣機.

Varkens 荷蘭豬系列 - Nederlandse Landgeit

荷蘭是豬肉出口國(at least 60%)，在育種方面也相當有成就，藍瑞斯或約克夏種豬腳、腿特別強壯在世界上是出了名的。

我是為了小豬豬才買這張明信片的，結果其實主角是一個很有名的紅毛歌手 Gerard Joling。Who care?
購於Aalsmeer的Soviniour shop

~~Ik houd erg van Nederlandse varkens~~

Korea KFC Delivery

這隻雞不知道會不會哪一天跑去唱光州之歌啊@@

Mecca Cola

"drink with commitment, shake your conscience"
If you love Cola but hate America, you have got to try Mecca-Cola

標榜以麥加河天然純水製成並且以公益(10% local, 10% Palestinian children)為出發點，其實骨子裡是訴諸反美情緒
聽說市佔率節節上升，大家應該沒有想到可樂也可以這樣做市場區隔吧

To see is NOT to believe

今天第一天上 Scenario Thinking，其中有一個有趣的實驗
影片中有黑白兩隊，每隊三人圍成圈圈，各自運一顆籃球
首先Play影片，計算白隊地板運球的次數，因為過程有點混亂請務必集中精神
然後再將影片重新播放一次，同樣計算黑隊地板運球的次數

最後告訴我，你發現了什麼?   

答案:
(請反白)每個人的身邊都有 一隻大猩猩：p

 

Asia’s IT sector growth leaves North America trailing

By Francesco Guerrera in Hong Kong
Published: March 1 2006 01:15

Asia fileThe IT sector in the Asia-Pacific region is set to expand nearly twice as fast as its North American counterpart in the five years to 2009, driven by explosive growth in countries such as India.

A new study, carried out by research consultancy IDC for Microsoft, predicts Asia’s IT sector will contribute over 1m new jobs, $11.3bn in new tax revenue and some $350bn to the region’s economies between 2004 and 2009.

The findings, seen by the Financial Times, highlight Asia’s rising importance within the global technology industry and suggest more international companies will set up in the region to take advantage of the sector’s superior growth.

The study, which excludes China because of the paucity of reliable data, will also help Microsoft and other companies to lobby governments to crack down on piracy and foster the development of a legitimate technology industry in Asia.

According to IDC, more than 40 per cent of the Asian IT sector’s employment and tax revenues – equivalent to more than $9.8bn – in 2004 came from the “Microsoft ecosystem”, made up of the US software group, its suppliers and associated companies.

“Growth in the Asia-Pacific IT sector is rebounding and growth is expected to continue on an upward trajectory through 2009,” the study says.

Revenues generated by Asia’s IT industry are expected to increase at an average annual rate of 8.6 per cent, nearly double the economic growth forecast for the region in the 2004-09 period.

By comparison, the North American IT industry is expected to grow by 4.9 per cent a year, with Europe forecast to report average annual increases of 6.5 per cent, according to the report.

The authors of the study say Asia’s growth will be spurred by the rapid development of most of its economies, which will lead governments and companies to make more use of hardware, software and IT services.

The addition of 1m new jobs to the 3m people employed in the IT industry will be driven by the creation of more than 19,000 new companies, with the fastest growth coming from software.

Software’s contribution to the region’s IT industry is dwarfed by hardware and IT services. However, the report argues that as Asian economies mature, their need for more sophisticated IT products will fuel a rise in software spending.

In India, software growth over the period is expected to be more than 19 per cent a year.

Source

Cats Power: a Philips Case Study

Here you can see the power of cats.

對愛貓的荷蘭人來說，這樣的訴求應該還挺管用的哩

轉載：前進印度守則

由於地域、種族、語言及宗教等因素，
使印度各地的商業習慣迥異，拓銷方式也截然不同
加以印度政府對印商的種種保護，外商必須入境隨俗，
了解印商習慣，妥善掌握交易條件，才能保障交易權益。

◎李建隆 

印度土地面積三百一十六萬平方公里，人口超過十億，是世界人口第二多的國家。印度的宗教和種族對政治的影響力，相當顯著，其中印度教佔八三％，是最主要的宗教，回教則佔十一％、錫克教佔二％、佛教佔一％，其他還有基督教、拜火教（Parsis）和耆那教（Jains）等。語言方面，印度官方承認的語文有十八種，官方語言為北印度語（Hindi），使用人口約卅％；一般商業交易及公務用語，則以英文為主。不過印度成人文盲比率幾近五十％，所以對知識份子心存敬重，但社會階級觀念濃厚。由於地域、語言、人口、宗教信仰等因素，使各地商業習性及產品喜好不盡相同，各大都會和鄉村的拓銷方式也截然不同。

入境隨俗  了解印商習慣
印度獨立五十年來，早期奉行社會經濟路線，對外資一直戒慎恐懼，獨尊國防軍事重工業，對民生經濟則採自給自足方式，直到一九九一年起逐漸開放經貿管制，朝向經濟自由化。惟因基礎建設落後、行政效率低落，多少影響經濟現代化的速度。印度在長期的保護政策下，多數產業有生產效率差、缺乏研發觀念、無計劃性的擴充及缺少競爭力等弊病。出口過度依賴傳統、勞力密集的特定產品項目，限制了出口的多樣性，相對也抵消出口產品的競爭力。此外，印度的智慧財產權保護起步較晚，立法亦不甚周延。

進入印度市場要注意幾點，首先，由於印度通關程序繁瑣，行政效率低，加上幅員廣大，各地消費習性與拓銷方式迥異，因此，慎選印度貿易夥伴，以減少對印度市場的風險更顯重要。以我國對印度主要出口產品的競爭國而言，包括美國、中國大陸、香港、韓國及日本等，在印度所採行的主要行銷策略也是透過代理商拓銷市場，利用代理商既有通路，或是以合資的方式，與印商合作進入印度市場。

其次，印度政府對於由商業部贊助的官方貿易推廣組織，其所辦理的貿易訪問團、研究、參展、印刷品及廣告均給予補助，不過申請時，對於參訪國家數目、天數及行程有所限制。由於各國對於印度簽證作業限制、飛機航班少並動輒客滿等因素，使印度商人對於出國行程經常搖擺不定。

其次，印度人崇尚和諧與重視禮節，很少當面拒絕或正面衝突，常以特殊的「搖頭」肢體語言來表示沒問題或贊同等各種意見。但在經商或協議過程中，這種過度重視禮節與避免當面拒絕的個性，往往造成事後無法確實遵守承諾，而導致世人對於印度商人的印象與風評不佳。這種情況在送貨、繳交款項、工程施工、維修等約定尤為常見，因此在訂定交貨時間時，應考慮發生延誤的可能性。再者，印度產品品質較不穩定，對品質較敏感的產品，買賣雙方最好事先選定國際公證公司，以為品質糾紛仲裁機構。值得一提的是，印度人中的Gujarati、Marwadi、Sindhis等族人向來以善於經商著稱，與其洽商時，更需特別留意。

一般而言，印度上層社會經商人員較為準時，Andhra Pradesh、Karnataka、Tamil Nadu等南印度人的風評則尚可，但多數中小型企業業者，在約會守時方面相當為人詬病。印度人生活步調緩慢，部分人在定下約會之初，可能為了討好對方而滿口承諾，但最後往往會遲到數小時甚至數日之久，總是經過多次提醒，並在獲得連連「Yes」回覆之餘，仍未見對方蹤影。

在衣著上，印度上層社會自視甚高，喜歡在穿著配飾中流露名牌派頭，因此在印度從事商務活動，及接觸上流階層人士時，男士穿著襯衫、西裝，女士穿著典雅套裝是最適合的穿著。尤其當接觸一般中小型的印度公司人員，正式而整潔的西服套裝可獲得較多的尊敬。在重要節慶與晚宴場合，多數印度婦女穿著正式傳統的服飾紗麗（Sarees），男士則以三件式西裝為正式而最廣為接受的服裝，部分印度男士也穿著傳統服裝Kurta或Pajamas，在參加婚禮時則穿著傳統服飾Sherwanis。

宴請印度商人或代理商有助於促成交易及商務談判，印度商人也時而邀請外國人吃飯，來表達地主之誼。在印度，洋酒進口稅額相當高，因此致贈洋酒有助於建立雙方情誼。但部分印度人因宗教種族的原因，限制飲酒，因此在餽贈酒禮之前，應先確認或改以其他禮品替代。

信用狀交易較有保障
由於印度對外貿易年年入超，以一九九九／二○○○年度為例，印度總進口金額為四百七十二億六千九百五十六萬美元，出口總金額則為三百七十六億四千四百卅九萬美元。由於外貿年年入超，造成印度貨幣盧比貶值壓力大。

與印度進出口商交易的報價方式，採用FOB或者CIF均為可行，如果印度進口商在我國並無熟識的船務代理幫其辦理運送及保險的話，一般均會在交易條件中請我國出口商以CIF方式報價，以免除安排運送及保險等事宜。

在貨物付款方面，由於印度嚴格的外匯管制，目前並未有放帳交易，而以信用狀、託收、或電匯為主要付款方式。由於信用狀一經銀行發出，除非貨物或文件有瑕疵，否則開狀銀行需負責支付貨款，故交易較有保障。至於託收銀行僅代為請領貨款，故風險相對較高。

印度外匯管制嚴格且規定相當繁瑣，由國外匯入印度較不受限制，但匯出款項則管制甚嚴，故外國人在印度開立各種銀行帳戶都受其儲備銀行（Reserve Bank of India）管制。外國人經申請許可後，得在印度開立一個盧比帳戶，但如要在另一家銀行開立第二個帳戶，則需再向央行提出申請。任何盧比存款、所得、保險理賠等，均需一一事先向央行申請，才得存入帳戶，如要匯出款項，也需事先向儲備銀行申請，否則無法匯出。此外，金融系統落後，也導致在其國內匯款較先進國家費時許多。

印度進出口業務受到層層管制，各種商品進口需先申請輸入許可證，因此對印度從事進出口貿易時，應妥善掌握交易條件。在交易時最好使用信用狀，選擇在印度及我國皆設有分行的銀行，以充分保障自身權益。

做好市調 免去糾紛由於各國廠商對於印度出口商出口物品相當審慎，多採信用狀交易，因此貿易糾紛發生頻率較低。但與印度進口商交易則有相當多的糾紛，最常見的就是印度進口商以收到貨品與當初的樣品不符、品質不良或進口商倒閉為由，或甚至是在毫無理由的情況下拒收貨品、拒提貨品、拒付貨款，或惡意要脅出口商降價。

由於印度法令相當保護該國進口商，貨品一旦進入印度港口即很難退貨，這種情況往往造成貨主與船公司嚴重損失。貨主無法收足貨款又不能辦理退貨，而船公司則要負擔貨品擱置在海關的費用。雖然依據印度法令，船公司對於進口商拒提貨品，得在第四十五天後向印度海關提出銷毀申請，並在第六十天起由海關接管、公開拍賣，但船公司往往除需支付由海關接管前長達六十天的場租外，還要因為印度海關效率低、倉庫空間不足、拍賣程序冗長，致船公司可能需耗費半年以上時間，才有辦法將貨櫃出清，造成無法使用貨櫃的多重損失。

由於印度地下經濟活動相當活躍，金融資訊網路相對於其他國家又相當落後，信用資訊查詢系統尚未建立，跳票或倒閉等資料難以查詢，所以對於印度進口商這種不提領貨品，又無法將貨退離印度的情況，幾乎沒有好的防範對策。唯一可行之道，只有在與印度進口商交易前，對於該進口商詳加調查及徵信，確定該進口商是否屬於印度主要商會的會員，並且在銀行有開狀額度，並盡量找具有規模且商譽信用良好的進口商。

印度可外銷我國的產品以棉紗、棉花、棉梭織物、花崗石等石材、合成有機色料、鐵礦石、鐵及非鐵合金剛的半製品、鑽石、藥品及殺蟲劑等化學品原料、油料種子及含油質的果實、精油等為主。我國可拓銷印度產品中，包括工具機、產業機械、模具、資訊產品、通訊產品、電子零組件、汽車零組件等。

印度幅員廣大，各地消費習性與拓銷方式迥異，因此，建議有意進軍印度的廠商應針對不同目標市場，採用不同拓銷策略。此外，亦可充分利用國內駐印度單位協助推廣，目前我國在新德里設有駐印度代表處、台北世貿中心駐孟買辦事處及中國信託商業銀行駐新德里分行等。

（摘自外貿協會駐孟買辦事處專員李建隆撰「印度交易特性」簡易市調報告）

Developing Coordination and Control

The Organizational Challenge
Philips / Matsushita 1998

1. How did Philips become the leading consumer electronics company in the world in the postwar era? What distinctive competencies did they build?

  Starting in Holland, Philips, with 30.3 billion sales in 2004, is one of the leading consumer electronics company in the world. With current 159,709 employees in over 60 countries, It has five main business segments - Consumer Electronics, Domestic appliances and Personal care, Lighting, Medical systems, Components and Semiconductors. In addition, Philips has a two-layer system of Corporate Governance - Board of Management and Supervisory Board. The Board of Management is responsible for strategy formulation and deploymnet. The Supervisory Board consisting mostly of external directors plays the advisory and supervisal role.

  When it comes to postwar era, the science and technology underwent the tremendous progress, and Philips also played a vital role in it. Numbers of invention like electric shaver, audio cassette and the development of transistors and integrated circuits were unrevealed to the world at that time. As we can see in the history of Philips, the state-of-the-art product innovation is its major competitive advantage. Furthermore, to get the bottom of it, this advantage was due to its famous teamwork tandition which was come from the shared but competitive leadership of the Philip's entrepreneurship. Philips calls it: BEST" - BUSINESS EXCELLENCE THROUGH SPEED AND TEAMWORK. This is also the most of the important administrative heritage of Philips.

  In fact, the NOs (National Organizations) created to follow this administrative heritage of Philips what we mentioned above were given a great degree of independence during World War II. As a result of loosy federation they became adept at responding effectively to nation-specific market conditions, such as different technical standards and different consumer preferences. Philips of Canada created the company's first color TV; Philips of Australia created the first stereo TV and Philips of UK created the first TVs with teletext. While the NOs took the major responsibilities for financial, legal and administrative matters, 14 PDs (Product Divisions) located at Eindhoven were responsible for development, production and global distribution.

  Traditionally, Philips has been one of the few MNCs in the world, with a long track record of innovations at local subsidiaries, which have developed strong research capabilities in different areas.  In recent times, the challenge for Philips has been to adopt more flexible integrative process which is to balance decentralisation with controls and put in place suitable global coordination mechanisms.

2. How did Matsushita succeed in displacing Philips as #1? What were its distinctive competencies and incompetencies?

  In the 1980s, Philips' competitive position weakened significantly.  Competition from rapid technological change, emergence of global standards for electronic equipment and low cost Japanese manufacturer all contributed to the overtaking of Matsushita. Since Matsushita has much strong Konosuke Matsushita's personal management style, there are numbers of Matsushita historic events which are based on KM's own experience. For instance, as the company expanded to the export market, KM started to devise and institute a system of autonomous management, dividing his company into three divisions. Each corporate division had its own administration, and was in charge of its own manufacturing facilities, allowing Konosuke to delegate more responsibility, and offering managers an opportunity to learn all aspects of their business - from product development through sales.

  Not only this powerful personal style but also the Japanese unique culture finally led to the centralized oritend organizaton model of Matsushita which can levelage the global efficiency on cost resuction and quality assurance from the advantage of its homebase. On the other hand, they could also establish the capability of advanced product research by this organizatial approach and increase their sustainable competencies on R&D.

  This kind of approach, however, could be quite highly risky because lacking the global learning. In other words, it is more or less like the diversity of ecosystem. The higher diversity means the higner possibility to survive when the environment become very cruel. Actually, this is what global learning could benefit to an organization.

Source: Philips Website, www.philips.com; Panasonic Website, www.panasonic.co.jp

Building Strategic Capabilities

General Electric Medical Systems

What is the underlying logic behind the Global Product Company idea?

  Global Product Company concept which was intruduced in General Electronic reflects the development progress of mutlinational companies (generic). During post-war era, most of the MNCs are transformed in United States due to the desire of protecting the resource and accessing the low-cost manufacturing. As Professor Raymond Vernon mentioned, U.S. firms would likely focus on innovations for the high-income consumers of their home market at the beginning. After the production process has getting more matured and standardized, these companies started to seek the opportunity in other markets with mass-production products. In other words, the MNCs gained the advantage of economic scales by centralizing the upstream activities of value chain including manufacturing and/or R&D at this stage. In the next phase, the standarization products are too mature to make profit due to the competition. Therefore only the adoption and customization to fit the various needs of each local market can differientate the products and add value to the customers.

  As we can see in the GEMS case, the GPC concept was implemented during Jeffrey Immelt's time. Becauce the state-of-the-art technology and innovation, GEMS had almost dominated the overall global healthcare market at this period. It is that GEMS can introduce their products to global morket. When applying the PLC model to this situation, we can easily figure out that the GEMS's healthcare products are in so-called glowth stage. And that is the main reason why the GPC concept can work effectively at the certain circumstances. Leveraging the advantage of GPC concept geared toward lowering the cost by shifting manufacturing activities, GEMS earned more margins and invested more in R&D. This positive circle keeps the competitive advantage of lasting innovation could be sustainable to get into the new economy's competetion which need more mass-customization to stand out from the crowd.

      Product Life Cycle Diagram