Social media-savvy Malaysians

Report from The New Straits Times (Malaysia) dated 29 September 2014 :-

Social media-savvy Malaysians

CONSTANT connectivity and digital media have enabled Malaysians to leapfrog to be one of the most socially engaged markets in the world.

According to findings from TNS’s Connected Life study released last week, 62 per cent of Internet users in Malaysia access social media networks daily, compared to 42 per cent globally, while 52 per cent use instant messaging every day.

For over a third of Internet users here, the screen of their mobile phone is the first face they see in the morning, with 35 per cent reaching for their mobile phone before they even get out of bed, while 34 per cent use their phones in bed before they go to sleep.

This usage contributes to the 4.5 hours of leisure time Internet users in the country spend online every day. Much of this screen time is spent in staying more connected. And while 59 per cent admit to spending a lot of their time on social media, email is still an important channel, with over 58 per cent sending personal emails on a daily basis.

Facebook is by far the most popular application, with almost half of Internet users here identifying it as their favourite social platform (48 per cent) and 88 per cent visiting the site weekly. WhatsApp is not far behind for weekly use, at 72 per cent of Malaysian Internet users, however it’s the favourite platform for just 19 per cent of the population. 
 
While Malaysian Internet users may have their favourite platforms, they do use a wide range of different services to stay connected - far more than is seen globally. 
 
While digital devices are never far away, they continue to engage with traditional media. They watch just under 80 minutes of TV daily, primarily during the evening when a quarter of Internet users will turn on the set.

“Our study has shown that Internet users in Malaysia are among the most attached to their digital devices of everyone we studied,” says Joe Webb, head of Digital, APAC, TNS. “We’ve been hearing about the declining influence of traditional media for some time, and the extent to which social media and digital devices have taken hold in Malaysia really shows this to be true.

However, with traditional media continuing to play a role at particular times of day - TV in the early evening at dinner time, for example - there’s an opportunity for brands to truly integrate their marketing like never before. “

Going online for entertainment is also popular in Malaysia, with 47 per cent of Internet users streaming music or radio every week, 62 per cent watching on-demand video and 44 per cent watching paid TV or movies online every week.

Webb concludes: “Internet users in Malaysia are hungry for content and conversations. We’re seeing high levels of engagement with content and a desire to stay connected with friends and family.

So while the medium has changed, the motivations haven’t. There’s a strong opportunity for the media owners who really understand these behaviours.”

Learning without boundaries through online courses

Learning without boundaries through online courses




Malaysians are exploring niche areas of study via online courses, and it’s shifting the educational landscape.
PETALING JAYA: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are about widening my horizons and going out of my comfort zone to learn things I did not get to pursue in university, says computer science graduate and IT service provider Ricky Soo.

Soo is among an increasing number of Malaysians actively pursuing Massive Open Online Courses and believe they are a valuable educational tool that expands one’s knowledge and skills, at virtually no cost whatsoever.

MOOC portals have popped up in the last decade, but only gained real prominence of late.

Some of the well-known ones are Coursera.org, Stanford Online, Open Education Europa, edX, and udemy, which offer hundreds of free courses from top universities worldwide.

Courserian Soo , who actively organises local ‘meetups’ between other Courserians and online learners, says he delved into MOOCs because he wished to discover new things.

Soo is one of the administrators for the Coursera Malaysia Study Group (not affiliated to Coursera), created for members to discuss and share their MOOC experiences.

To date, the Facebook group has over 200 members, though only a handful show up for the meetups.

“The first meetup I organised, only seven people turned up. Each person shared something they learnt on Coursera. We then did a few follow-up sessions on learning in general, and those became popular,' he explains.

These meetups, Soo says, are important to retain the social aspect of learning, as MOOCs limit the amount of physical interactions and discussions between students.

The peer assessment format is also a refreshing change from the norm, says Soo, who is a firm believer in the “wisdom of the crowd”.

“When you have such a large number of students in one class, those assessing your work are anonymous and also random. They have no motivation to be biased or unfair towards you,” he said.

With the growing appeal for MOOCs, which also provide paid options for those seeking further accreditation, Soo believes traditional institutions will struggle to cope if they cannot reinvent their business model.

“Definitely, it is going to be quite hard for some tertiary institutions, especially if educators are not open to it. But disruptive change can be good, as long as they are prepared to embrace it.”

Evolving from the concept of distance learning, MOOCs provide a full-fledged learning environment in the form of lecture videos, notes, reading materials, assignments and discussion forums.

They have no age limitations or restrictions based on academic qualifications as MOOCs commonly cater to beginners. Advocates say it is the perfect platform for students and professionals, both young and old, to seek niche areas of study outside the domain of conventional education.

But despite the apparent ease with which they can be pursued, online learners believe there are challenges for Malaysia to adopt MOOCs holistically .

School teacher Apple Aipei, 26, says the relative rigidity of the local education format will make adapting to MOOCs harder.

“In Malaysia, we have a fixed path to follow, from primary school all the way to a university degree, and perhaps Masters and PhD. In the West however, people are more likely to experiment with different learning pathways.”

Apple, who has completed several MOOCs in the past, also believes employers have yet to value the certificates and qualifications obtained via this method.

Fellow Courserian Dr Foo Chee Yoong, 33, agrees, saying that during interviews he had attended in the past, companies were surprised to find out that he possessed these “side qualifications”.

Dr Foo, who works at a research institute under the Health Ministry, says staff in his department are encouraged to upskill themselves by taking up MOOCs.

“MOOCs are a more cost-effective way to train your staff, because getting expertise from outside is expensive and time consuming.

“However, despite the push to upskill, very few staff actually take up the offer. We try to provide incentives, but the response is still lukewarm.

In Malaysia, one of the main proponents of the online learning initiative is MyMobileUniversity, a platform that hosts hundreds of online and digital learning resources, including MOOCs.

Its chief operating officer, Rani Wemel, says the portal was set up to provide free and quality education to a larger segment of the population, many of whom are not privileged enough to gain access to such learning platforms.

“MyMobileUni started out as a one-page CSR (corporate social responsibility) project ten years ago. But it has since become a social enterprise, with over 20 channels on our webpage linking access to a range of online learning resources.

“We have content for all ages and for all disciplines, whether its marketing, branding, health, academia, or even pre-school learning,” she says,

Wemel, who is also co-founder of MyMobileUniversity, believes it has become increasingly crucial for graduates to leverage on online learning in order to re-skill or upskill themselves, which would altogether improve their job prospects.

With over 2,000 MyMobileUni subscribers to date, she feels educators should not be afraid to embrace this new form of learning.

“Malaysia has the infrastructure to implement this, and in fact, it has already been outlined in the National Education Blueprint. It’s only a matter of setting an effective timeline and not delaying its implementation.

“MyMobileUni also has special focus channels for teachers to equip themselves with new content, basic things like optimising the use of online learning aids. It is a way for them to upskill themselves,” she said.

The next step for MyMobileUni is to encourage corporations to get onto the bandwagon and train their staff through digital resources.

“We are currently approaching these organisations and asking them to create a channel with us for a nominal sum. We will help them curate the learning resources they think is useful for their staff," says Wemel, adding that the company recently launched its iOS and Android mobile applications to enable greater access to learning resources ‘on the go’.
------ The STAR (Malaysia)    19 September 2014

No job satisfaction? You’re in good company

No job satisfaction? You’re in good company




File picture shows Malaysian government employees working inside the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) office in Putrajaya. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — Finding your job to be soul-sapping and unfulfilling? Fret not, you’re not alone, because only one in five Malaysians are content in their current employment, according to a recent survey on global well-being.

The lack of job satisfaction is such that it is the only one of five measures of wellbeing — purpose — in which those “suffering” outstrip respondents who consider themselves “thriving”.

Still, Malaysians are generally a satisfied bunch, according to the 2013 poll by American pollster Gallup and US-based well-being company Healthways Global, which showed Malaysians topping others Asians in each of the five well-being categories measured: purpose, social, financial, community and physical. 

“The only element in which Malaysians are more likely to be suffering (28 per cent) than thriving (20 per cent) is purpose well-being, indicating many do not feel fulfilled in their jobs or daily activities,” said the survey released Tuesday that polled 135 countries.

The purpose well-being category is defined as “liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals”.

Although there are more Malaysians who find their jobs unfulfilling than those who turned up at work with a spring in their step, respondents reported higher rates of satisfaction than others worldwide on other measures.

In terms of feeling safe where they lived and liking their surroundings, 37 per cent responded positively, while the proliferation of text messaging apps and the popularity of social networks here saw over one in three respondents saying they were happy socially. 

“As in many Asian countries, young people in Malaysia have been much more likely than those in older generations to embrace social media.

In particular, the popularity of messenger apps like WhatsApp and LINE have exploded in popularity among young Malaysians,” said the report.

Slightly more than a quarter of Malaysians (28 per cent) said they were thriving in financial wellbeing, compared to 25 per cent in Asia, with the report attributing Malaysia’s score to the upper middle-income country’s low unemployment rate of 3 per cent.

A total of 29 per cent of Malaysians are thriving in physical wellbeing, the report found.

The survey noted that almost one out of four Malaysians (24 per cent) expressed satisfaction in three or more well-being categories, higher than the Asia region (14 per cent) and globally (17 per cent). 

 “These positive results are likely attributable in part to the Malaysian government’s focus on productivity-enhancing reforms, poverty reduction, and economic diversification, as reflected in its investments in infrastructure and human capital,” said the survey. 

“Malaysia’s healthcare system is generally seen as efficient and broadly accessible, and the country’s booming medical tourism sector has helped promote investment in high-quality medical facilities while keeping the cost of healthcare services competitive,” said the report.

The survey further said Malaysians are twice as likely to be thriving in four or more well-being categories at 12 per cent, compared to the Asia region’s 6 per cent. 

“There is much room for improvement, but such gains are likely if the government continues its focus on favourable investment conditions and the broad-based development of human capital,” 

 It pinpointed efforts to make education more accessible and the push into new industries as among strategies that could help address Malaysians’ low levels of job satisfaction and improve their financial standing.

According to the survey, the happiest country in the world is Panama, with other Latin American and European nations comprising the top 10 countries thriving in three or more well-being categories.
---- 19 September 2014

I Quit! (Are you sure?)

I Quit! (Are you sure?)




If you want to have a big life - by that I mean you are living your passion - a focus on making your own luck is key. This is especially so if you feel your current job is holding you back.

When it comes to making the move into that occupation you have always wanted to try, the one you might have talked about for years, fortune really does favour the brave. You need a willingness to take a chance and be brave enough to let instinct guide you.

I write from experience. To date I have led an assorted, fortunate professional life working in sports management, as a university lecturer, board director, chairman, and now as chief executive.

Transitioning from one role to the next required large steps out of even larger comfort zones, but I did so because I have always been a curious person and never wanted to be left wondering 'what if?'

Do you want to be the one in the nursing home with the best stories, not the biggest frustrations? That is the question that motivates me.

Knowing when to make a career change can be challenging. For some it is a matter of impulse while for others, it is a decision they dwell on for years. Neither is perfect. Notwithstanding that you and others reading this will be at different stages of your professional and financial development, if you are entertaining the idea of job change, here is what I have learnt you need to absolutely ask yourself.

Am I in my current job because…

1. The people are nice
Of course, it is always wonderful to work with great people, but what I have found when people stay in a job for solely that reason is that they do not develop personally as much as they perhaps could have. A focus on personal growth and your ability to learn in a workplace should always come before whether you the like your boss or colleagues.

2. I am institutionalized
Have you been working so long in a particular role or sector that you think you could not possibly work anywhere else? This can be a convenient excuse for not moving on. No matter your role, or sector, there are always ways to obtain external advice as to what your skill is worth in the market, and where else it could be transported to - but you have got to have that genuine curiosity to want to know.

3. It is a means to an end
How do you feel each morning when you go to work? Do you jump out of bed excited, or is it a deeply regrettable activity? Ensure you like going to work, if you do not, then why are you accepting that? A lot of us spend more time at work than we do with our family or friends, so why would you spend the majority of your adult years somewhere you do not want to be?

4. I am okay that my childhood dreams remaining unfulfilled
I have mentored and coached many young professional, and the first question I always insist on them answering is: what did you aspire to be when you were a young adult at school? I ask this because often at that age, you are much closer to your instincts than you allow yourself to be as a working adult. The pressures and distractions of life challenge our capacity to stay true to ourselves. So tell me, if you were seventeen, would you be happy with what you are doing right now?

5. The money is good
I have seven children, so there were times when money was a priority. However, during these stages of my life I never stopped asking myself what I would prefer to be doing. So, the minute the opportunity arose to act on this, I was ready to go. While I accept there are circumstances where financial security is the overriding consideration for staying in a role, I would agree to disagree with you if you were to tell me that money is a worthwhile career-long motivation. If there is a job you really want, will you have the courage to potentially go backwards at a professional level in both responsibility and money because you really want to try it?

6. I am just plain scared
I believe certain world shocks over recent years, such as terrorism and the global financial crisis, have incrementally gnawed away at our sense of certainty and stability. So a job you might think is okay might only be so because it makes you feel safe. I contend that doing what you love doing, or seeking to do so, is a far safer place with much more personal satisfaction attached to it.
So I suggest you sit down in a quiet place and think about these six points. It is my hope that the answer is ‘no’ to all of them, and if not, you are online looking for a new job to make your own luck.

***

 

Alex Malley FCPA is the chief executive of CPA Australia and the host of the Nine Network television series The Bottom Line. Alex is also a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and he is a regular business commentator on the nationally syndicated programs The Money News on 2GB and Sky News Business.    28 May 2014

Malaysians spend five hours online daily and it is mostly on social media, says report

Malaysians spend five hours online daily and it is mostly on social media, says report



Malaysians spend an average of 5 hours online daily, and 3 out of these 5  hours are spent on social media.

And of the 19.2 million Internet users in Malaysia, 15.6 million of them are active on Facebook, said the 2013 Industry Performance Report published by Internet regulator, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

A total of 64% of the population have social media penetration, said MCMC chairman Datuk Mohamed Sharil Mohamed Tarmizi today.

“Now you know how many hours your staff spend online and which sites they visit,” he told business operators, including telco and media representatives, at the report’s launch in Kuala Lumpur today.

The 2010 survey conducted by international firm TNS found Malaysians to have the most number of friends on social networking websites like Facebook.

They also spend the most hours per week on such sites.

According to the survey, Malaysians have an average of 233 friends in their social network, followed by 231 in Brazil and 217 in Norway.

Japanese users had the least number of friends at an average of 29.

The survey was based on recent interviews of 50,000 consumers in 46 countries.

Mohamed Sharil also said that more and more people are connected with broadband services.

There were 20.3 million broadband subscribers in 2013, of which 88% are on mobile broadband.

He said wider wireless broadband coverage is expected in 2017 and this will enable the usage of information and communication technology to be further intensified in many areas of business.

Due to the growth in Internet usage, the commission will work with relevant parties on tightening security features for consumer safety. 

“Singapore showed an increase of 400% in cyber crime last year and this could happen to us.

Why?

Because more and more people are connected but not many are cyber aware,” said Mohamed Sharil.

 He said MCMC is working closely with the police and Bank Negara to monitor Internet abuse and other cyber crimes.

The report also noted a 4.5% growth in revenue for the communications and multimedia industry from RM51.1 billion in 2012 to RM53.4 billion last year.

The main contributors are telecommunication providers at 85%, broadcasting at 11% and the remainder from the postal sector and others.
– September 11, 2014.






 

Working from home and working remote

Working from home and working remote



 The idea of working from home is very new to the Malaysian work scene. Working remote, is almost alien! One of our founders is doing both. See how she manages to work, be a mom and deal with the time zone.


Can you tell us about yourself and how did you get yourself to work from home?
I’m Tazz and I was once an English teacher. I enjoyed teaching immensely and still keep in touch with the kids I used to teach via social media and the occasional postcards.

After I got married to an American, it was decided that I would quit teaching, as my impending move to the US would make that very difficult!

I had been writing for an online newspaper for about two years then, and found out they were looking for a new sub-editor.

Although my background was in education with a degree in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) and I had no experience working in the media, thanks to my writing stint with them, my editor was more than happy to hire me as a sub-editor.

My bosses have been awesome and allow us to work remotely.

We work on the honour system, which means I do what I’m supposed to do, and they’ll continue allowing us to work remotely.

So far it has worked out well and we are all happy with the arrangement.

 Please tell us how your day starts and when do you start work?
My days start very early. I have requested to be put on the afternoon shift, which starts at 4pm Malaysian time, 4am US time.

 I wake up a bit earlier than 4, and work until noon, or 12am Malaysian time.

I get a one-hour break, which I often use to cuddle with my baby or take care of chores.

How do you organize your home and your work in one roof? Do you have a dedicated office space?
Usually in the morning, I work in the living room or at the kitchen table.

My son sleeps mostly in the morning, so since our master bedroom is downstairs (and he still sleeps with us since we’re still nursing), it makes it easier to stay on the ground floor so I can hear him when he wakes up.

During my shift, he’d play and explore the house.

We have a room upstairs, a playroom/sewing room.

Sometimes I’d take him upstairs so he can play while I work.

It all depends on how we feel that day.

My house is pretty much my office.

Sometimes I work in my jammies!

How do you organize your time between being a mom and work?
This is very hard to answer! I find myself being both at the same time sometimes.

For example, sometimes, especially when my son was younger, he wanted to be held all the time, so I had to hold him and focus on my work at the same time.

Babywearing has helped me attend to his needs and focus on my work.

If you are a working mother with a young baby, this might be the solution to your problem.

I feel like there need to be the ability to shift fluidly between the two roles.

Some days my son wakes up earlier and refuses to go back to sleep, so I would have to entertain him or play with him.

My colleagues are very understanding usually when I tell them I need to attend to my son, and will cover for me while I am gone.

 The nature of my work is very flexible and so I don’t have a hard time deciding which is more important, my job or my family.

Both are important to me, and I strive to be the best at doing both.

How disciplined do you need to be to do your work and to be a mom?
Since my work is shift-based, to me that time, 4-12 is time for me to work.

Occasionally, my son would come to me wanting attention and I would not be able to attend to him as there is a pressing story (that just came in which need to be upload NOW), so I would try to distract him with toys or books.

If you are a work-at-home-mom who freelances/run your own business, then there needs to be some sort of routine.

Having a routine helps create that feeling that you are working.

Make sure your child knows that there is time for work, and time when they can come and play with you.

With a child as young as mine, that might be difficult to do, especially when, to him, the computer is something else for him to chew on!

But WAHM friends with older kids have shared that, once explained, their children understand that mummy needs to work and will play during the specified time.

It is very easy to get sucked into watching the latest show on TV instead of focusing on your work, so make sure you dedicate some time for work and for leisure.

Sometimes I like having music as background noise, especially when I’m working on something stressful.

It helps your brain relax.

If your work requires you to stare at the computer for hours like mine does, make sure you take a little break to rest your eyes.

Are you able to find work-life balance that is considered difficult to achieve by those who commute to an office?
Definitely.

I love that I am able to work and generate an income while at the same time, be home with my son.

I don’t have to leave the house.

I’m able to watch my son grow and save on daycare costs (which is exorbitant here in the US).

My editor has been kind enough to roster me to work on weekdays, so I would have my weekends free to spend with my family.

Occasionally I would be scheduled to work on a weekend, but since that very rarely happens, I do not mind it one bit when I have to.

Plus, it is not hard for me to work, since I work from home and do not even need to leave my house.

The thing I love about being able to work from home is that I am not wasting time commuting and being stuck in traffic jams.

I have some friends leaving home very early just to beat the traffic jam on their way to work, and spending close to 3 hours everyday just commuting.

That sounds horrible to me, and I can never do that.

Even when I was teaching, my house would be very near my workplace; one was so near I could hear the bell ring from my apartment!

My husband commutes to work, spending around 90 minutes each day in his car and he does not enjoy it.

We could move closer to his workplace, but we really like where we are living now, as it is a safe, quiet neighborhood with a very good school nearby, so we feel it is a fair trade off.

After I finish work, I will prepare lunch, taking about a couple of seconds to go from my workstation to the kitchen.

Then I would play with my son, read with him or maybe bake.

In the evening as we wait for daddy to come home, we do yoga together or go for a walk around the block.

I feel like my time is better spent, on things that matter and I feel less stressed compared to when I had to physically be present at the office.

How do you communicate with your colleagues?
We get on GMail and use GChat to communicate with each other.

We also have each other’s phone numbers in case the Internet cuts out (which does happen even in the US!).

We are also friends on social media, so we have various ways of communicating with each other.

Are you able to have a good social interaction with your colleagues?
Yes. Some of them I have never met in real life, but we talk so much with each other we have built a good relationship with one another.

 I share my baby’s pictures and they tell me about their lives.

We trade stories about life, and share a laugh about a funny video.

We usually meet when I’m in Malaysia and my bosses would have a makan-makan session for all of us.

What do you love the most about working from home?
 I do not have the Monday blues!

I love that I am able to be home with my son and watch him grow and develop.

 I was there when he sat up for the first time,

I was the one to catch his first smile – memories which, as a mother, are very dear to me.

We get to save money on daycare costs, which are exorbitant here in the US.

Some working mothers I have spoken to said they actually stopped working outside of the home because when they calculated the daycare costs with how much they were making, they found out it was just a few extra cents, which was so not worth it!

I love that I do not waste time commuting and have no overhead costs.

I don’t spend money on gas or car maintenance and I feel my time is better spent.

What are your greatest challenges?
House chores. I wish I have a magic wand so they get done without me having to do them.

Having said that, I make sure I do certain things on certain days as to not be overwhelmed by them all, and am lucky enough to have a husband who does chores too.

We pick up each other’s slack and I am thankful for that.

For example, he would load the dishwasher and I put the dishes away once they are done.

Running a household is a lot of work and some days when I slack off and not do certain things, I would feel like the worst wife/mother ever for not doing them.

It is hard to keep a neat home when you have a baby who tears into everything!

He recently learned how to open the kitchen cabinets and had a whale of a time taking everything out and rearranging them on the floor all over the house.

We put childproof locks on the doors, but he managed to work his way around them in less than 5 seconds!

As a former teacher, my previous job required me to meet and be around hundreds of people everyday.

Now the only people I see everyday are my husband and son.

It can get lonely, but I have an active social life outside of work, and I get my fair share of people from those activities.

I’m very active in the local babywearing group and am training to be a Babywearing Educator (BWE).

I am also admin of the Malaysian Babywearers Facebook group, where we share and give advice on how parents can babywear safely.

Social media helps keep me connected with others, so I don’t feel as secluded as I thought I would be, working from home.

Would you recommend others to work from home? In your opinion and from your experience, is working from home a good idea?
Yes, and yes.

I find that working from home allows me to spend better quality time with my family.

I also get to work on things I am passionate about – sewing, baking, writing – as I do not have to spend time commuting. I’ve been sharing the things I made with friends and have received orders to make it for them, which is great because now my hobbies are generating an income for me.

I feel like I get more out of the time I have!

I love that I do not have to waste time doing things that I can complete at home very quickly.

For example, during my one-hour break, I can eat, run the dishwasher and put a load of laundry into the washing machine.

If I am working in a conventional office setting, there is no way I can do all that.

Working at home has its challenges.

 It is very easy to fall victim to the charm that is your cosy, comfy bed, especially when everyone else is snoozing away.

It is hard to focus on work when you have a crying child tugging at your legs, wanting to be held.

 If your spouse is not very understanding of your work arrangements, then working from home can be a bane rather than something that enriches your life.

I have mad respect for mothers who work out of home and work from home.

Being a dedicated mother is a full time job.

Some mothers I talked to spoke about feeling guilty, about not being able to ‘be there’ for their kids because they are out working, or feeling like they are wrong for being a stay-at-home-mom and not enjoying it.

I always tell them, do not feel bad.

Do what you have to do, to put food on the table, to keep your children happy and healthy, and find fulfilment in what you do.

 I work because I love being able to put my skills to use.

 I did go to university and had a career pre-baby, and feel like I have more to contribute to society.

A lot of women quit the workforce after they have their babies, which to me is such a loss as women have so much to offer to the world.

If you can work from home, do it. I promise you won’t regret it.
– September 6, 2014.


The writer/sub-editor Tazz's son Elias beside her when she's working


 

Believe in yourself and be a genius

September 8, 2014

Telling people that intelligence is genetically fixed may inadvertently hamper learning.

Researchers from Michigan State University say being told that achievement comes from hard work rather than genetics provokes instant changes in brain patterns and could inspire greater effort on the part of those who wish for success.

“Giving people messages that encourage learning and motivation may promote more efficient performance,” says Hans Schroder, a third year doctoral student in clinical psychology whose work is funded by the National Science Foundation. “In contrast, telling people that intelligence is genetically fixed may inadvertently hamper learning.”

Past studies have homed in on the importance of positive reinforcement, although Schroder’s may be the first to provide physiological evidence that believing one is not limited by genetics could increase confidence, effort and perhaps even success.

Schroder told Relaxnews that he worked with a total of 44 undergraduate students, with women slightly outnumbering men.

He divided them at random into two groups in which they were given one of two articles to read, conveying intelligence as being either genetic or trainable in a challenging environment. He then attached participants to electroencephalography machines and asked them to complete a simple computer task under EEG surveillance.

The EEG readings of participants’ brainwaves allowed him to see how much attention participants paid to their mistakes during the task.

“You can pay attention to your mistakes,” he told Relaxnews, “but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing anything effective with the material you learned from making them.”

Sure enough, the group that had read the article proclaiming that intelligence is genetic was clearly concerned with performance, for they paid attention to their mistakes in a manner that did not relate to performance on trials after errors.

“We were asking the question as to how the brain communicated the individual’s behavior,” Schroder said. “If you paid attention to the mistakes does that carry over to the next trial? Does it correlate? Are you slower, faster or more accurate?”

As for the group that had read the article saying that genius can arise from a challenging environment, their EEG readings reflected more efficient brain behavior upon mistakes, indicating a belief that they could improve on their performance.

Schroder told Relaxnews that future research would involve exploring the long-term consequences of such messages, with an eye to creating optimal learning.
-AFP Relaxnews

Facebook targets advertisers as 100 million log on in Africa

Facebook targets advertisers as 100 million log on in Africa

 

One in 10 Africans are logging on to Facebook every month, the world's No.1 online social network said on Monday, presenting a new target audience for advertisers.

Of those 100 million people, 80% are accessing the platform via mobiles on a continent with very low internet penetration and smartphone ownership, it said.

 Facebook's global mobile advertising revenue jumped more than 150% in the second quarter, accounting for about 62% of overall ad revenue.

"There is a fantastic opportunity for business as well if you are local or a global business.

Knowing that there is all these people now in Africa that you can connect with, that is exciting as well," said Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook's vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Seven in 10 African consumers access the internet through their mobile phones, compared with 6% who use desktop computers, according to an Ericsson study earlier this year.

Facebook would be pouring more resources into Africa to understand how consumers use its product and was considering opening an office on the continent in 2015, Mendelsohn said, without saying where the office might be.

The company is customising products to fit the needs of individual countries, she added.

For example, it can now target users based on their internet speeds. Facebook has more than 1.5 million active advertisers and more than 1.3 billion active users globally.

Mendelsohn could not say how much Africa contributes to advertising revenues but said the Europe, Middle East and Africa region makes up 30% of global revenue.
– Reuters, September 5, 2014.
 

China super rich find creative ways to manage health as well as wealth

China super rich find creative ways to manage health as well as wealth


Favorite sports for the Chinese wealthy include golfing, riding horses and sailing.

Monday, Sep 08, 2014
 China Daily/Asia News Network
By Shi jing

CHINA - The lives of the super rich are always of great interest to ordinary people.

How billionaires snowball their personal wealth, what they do in their leisure time, how many days a year they spend on business trips, what kind of gifts they send to their friends and relatives－even their astrological or Chinese zodiac signs－are probed, apparently giving inspiration or setting trends.

The number of rich people has been expanding in China over the past few years.

According to the Hurun Report, the Shanghai-based media group that documents every aspect of the rising ranks of the Chinese rich, more than 2.9 million Chinese people had personal wealth of more than 6 million yuan (S$1.23 million) by the end of last year－100,000 more than a year earlier.

The number of rich people with personal wealth of over 100 million yuan increased by 2,500 to reach 67,000 by last year, the Hurun Report said.

Although the means by which these rich people accumulated wealth varies from person to person, their preferred ways of spending money are quite often the same.

Their favourite investment, despite the recent downturns, is still property.

According to the Hurun Report, the current favourite property in Shanghai is a golf villa.

The average price of a 350-square-meter golf villa in Shanghai has risen 6 million yuan this year to reach 25 million yuan.

Such villas are eagerly pursued, the report said, since rich people seemingly believe they are "scarce resources worth investing in".

Another important area of investment by rich people is their personal health, according to Rupert Hoogewerf, founder and chief researcher of the Hurun Report.

"Basically, they manage their health by eating healthfully and exercising regularly," Hoogewerf said.

 "The second important thing is a regular medical checkup.

Medical trips, medical clubs, and even placenta injection are more widely accepted by high-net-worth individuals."

As the Hurun Report has discovered, more than 80 per cent of China's wealthy have a medical checkup annually, and 14 per cent of them have one every six months.

One-fourth of the super rich in China get a physical checkup twice a year.

About 40 per cent of these rich people prefer overseas hospitals or organisations.

The average expenditure for such a medical checkup is 1,500 yuan, but the super wealthy are likely to spend 3,500 yuan each time.Zhang Hongyi, the Shanghai-based chief executive officer of a joint venture between China and Switzerland, has a physical checkup once a year at a cost of 2,000 yuan each.

Additionally, he visits his personal doctor at a foreign clinic in Shanghai every three months for health advice.

"For me, health is the most important thing," Zhang said. "I will not be able to fulfil my job without good health. It's worth investing in it."

He spends one hour every morning jogging, and he goes golfing if he has the time.

According to the Hurun Report, golf is one of the favourite sports among individuals with higher net worth.

As a result, it is even more expensive now to be admitted into a golf club in Shanghai.

The membership fee of the Sheshan International Golf Club in west Shanghai has risen from 2.3 million yuan last year to 2.7 million yuan this year.

Wealthy people also are huge collectors.

Artworks, especially ancient Chinese calligraphy and paintings, are gaining popularity.China's fourth-richest man, Wang Jianlin, who has a personal wealth of at least 90.3 billion yuan and is chairman of the privately-owned property developer Dalian Wanda Group, is very active in the art world.

Last year, Wang spent 172 million yuan for a Picasso original at Christie's auction house in New York.

Luxury Watches
Watches are still the cup of tea of the Chinese super rich.

According to the Hurun Report, Patek Philippe remains the most preferred complex functional watch brand, while Cartier is the most preferred jewelry watch brand.

Jiang Lei, general manager of a real estate company in Shanghai, has a collection of luxury watches at home.

To him, brands such as Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin are must-haves when it comes to luxury watches.

But usually he will not wear them, as he considers them to be "too much of a display".

Therefore, he prefers to wear a Rolex or Blancpain when he is conducting business.

"I am also a huge fan of Chinese ancient calligraphy and paintings," Jiang said.

"But there are too many counterfeits in the market.

Amateur collectors can easily be deceived.

Also, the prices of these artworks have been much hyped.

So to be on the safe side, I find watches much safer to invest in.

 If I really like some pieces of artwork, I will simply buy some duplicates," he said.

Meanwhile, rich people generally follow tight schedules.

But probably one of the keys to their success is that they never forget to give themselves a break.

Therefore, travel is second only to health as a so-called spiritual investment, the Hurun Report has found.

Chinese people with high net worth took four trips on average last year, with at least one trip overseas.

More than half of them choose to travel abroad on national holidays.

For a domestic trip, the Chinese super rich will spend at least 43,000 yuan per person.

The expenditure for an overseas trip will be at least 110,000 yuan.

Overseas Weddings
Very popular nowadays is an overseas wedding ceremony combined with traveling, according to HHtravel, a high-end luxury travel brand under the large Chinese travel agency Ctrip.com.

About 40 per cent of China's wealthy are interested in an overseas travel wedding, and about 70 per cent of rich people born in the 1980s have shown interest in such a trip.

One of the most asked-about products under HHtravel is the travel wedding at Santorini, a Greek island.

The 10-day trip will cost at least 199,000 yuan for each person, with business class flights on fivestar airline Qatar Airways, an exclusive photographer, and helicopter and yachting trips provided.

Ji Xiaojing, director of HHtravel's European trips department, said the overseas travel wedding has huge potential in the Chinese market, especially among those with personal wealth of at least 10 million yuan.

"These customers have unique tastes and styles.

Therefore, we have to make sure everything is well-planned and high-end.

All our staff serving these customers know exactly their needs and preferences and have an acute sense of quality," said Ji.