NU6 Paper by JCB, Pakikipagkapwa

Pakikipagkapwa Tao as a New Paradigm

By

JCB

R090209

            One of the more contentious relationships in Philippine modern society is between labor and management. With both parties naturally at odds with each other, their views are naturally divergent. Their interactions have always been confrontational and sometimes violent. This has got to stop. And the answer lies in the development of an indigenous new concept or paradigm which will help solve the long time conflict between labor and management.

            

          The first step in developing an indigenous new concept or paradigm lies in the admission that foreign concepts do not squarely address the problems of Philippine Industrial relations. The ideas of John Dunlop, Harry Katz and Thomas Kochan, though viable, shouldn't be the only intellectual crutches of local industrial relations practitioners; there are after all local notions and frameworks.

           

          The second step lies in surveying Filipino culture and psychology. There must be a useful and worthwhile idea that can be found in the vast reservoir of indigenous mores and folkways. And fortunately, there is one: pakikipagkapwa tao.

         

            Pakikipagwa roughly means fellowship with others. It is deeper and more meaningful than empathy. Observing pakikipagkapwa tao means that people treat each other with utmost respect. Everyone treats each other with dignity. No one is debased. A person's basic humanity is upheld and cherished.

        

            Having defined pakikipagkapwa tao, the next step should focus on how to integrate this local concept in the everyday course of business. And the further step lies in determining how negotiating parties can observe it during collective bargaining agreements.

         

           The objectives above are hard, but not impossible to accomplish. All it takes is for the stakeholders, both labor and management, to earnestly commit to the notion of pakikipagkapwa tao. And if both labor and management can practice it every day, then there is no reason why it can't be observed during CBA negotiations.

        

          One way to foster pakikipagkapwa tao is to allow freewheeling interaction between labor and management every day. For instance, both parties should eat together during breaks, unlike the normal practice that managers are seated separately from the rank and file. Also, both labor and management should participate in the same CSR activities. And these activities should even allow labor to take the lead and management to be followers. This will allow both parties to actually feel each other's every day roles.

        

        Admittedly, the concept of pakikipagkapwa tao as applied to work and industrial relations is in a way novel. The whole idea is still subject to refinement and modification. But, the potential is there. And if further developed, then the Filipino can be proud that it can finally contribute to management practice.

       

         But, the more fascinating possibility is that pakikipagkapwa tao has the potential of improving human relations as a whole. The idea, if adopted universally, can help humans to be more humane. And if that happens, the world will be a better place to live in. 4

NU6 paper by JCB - 3d books

Cutting Edge & Novel E-Publishing

By

JCB

R090209

                Some say that civilization owes its survival to books. And thanks to the painstaking process of hand copying all these materials, civilization survived the Dark Ages and moved into the age of the Renaissance. Without books to ensure the transfer of knowledge, modern civilization would have become history yesterday. Books, therefore, will always be essential to the progress and survival of man.

                

               Nowadays, books are taking a new form. From being hardbound, they are now being published electronically or digitally. And with this new format, it would not be difficult transferring knowledge from one generation to another. At the same time, the new format brings promise. The author sees an opportunity especially in the Philippines. No local publishing company has fully embraced the advantages of digital publishing.

             

              But, the author doesn't plan to strictly follow the footsteps of current digital publishers abroad who transfer current hardbound content to digital format. That's not how the author wants to do business. He wants to pursue a more advanced business idea, a novel one. And that is to come up with a digitally published book possessing the following features: completely interactive, has 3D capabilities and can project 4D holograms. At this point, there's no way to fully approximate the author's idea. He is limited by current technology. But, illustration wise the image below comes close:

                The picture is a scene from Iron Man 2 and it approximates the author's vision, albeit in a grander scale. The scene in the movie essentially shows how learning can benefit from a fully interactive platform. If books are fitted with this technology, episodes of history will virtually come to life before the eyes of the student. Also, lovers of the classics can actually see 4-D depictions of Oliver Twist, Silas Marner, Great Expectations, and 1984. Watching scientists like Jonas Salk and Robert Oppenheimer will be a treat for science enthusiasts. Most of all, philosophers will enjoy conversing with interactive holograms of Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean Paul Sarte, and Immanuel Kant. Intriguing indeed.

           

                Everything mentioned in the paragraph above sounds promising, but the question remains whether they are feasible.

              

              Recent developments in hologram technology indicate that science fiction can become reality in the next few years. And with this probability, it wouldn't be farfetched that e-publishing can accommodate the same innovation. All it takes is for a dreamer to think about it, and the author is the one doing that. This whole essay is the author's attempt to provide the world with an audacious, novel and new business idea: one that is completely out of the box.

           

             All in all, e-publishing is here to stay and there's an apparent opportunity that is coming with it. Aside from ensuring that knowledge will reach more people than ever before, the chance to make a decent profit out of it is apparent, too. A new frontier is waiting to be conquered.4

Chosen Source

http://www.cgchannel.com/2010/05/iron-man-2-boom-or-bust/

NU 6 by JCB Toys for Warfare

"Innovate or DIE"

Limitless

By

JCB

R090209

               The purpose of this exercise is to think of new products or to at least come up with product improvements. At first, the author thought that this assignment would be a trivial undertaking; all he had to do was to let his imagination run wild and voilà! This, however, was easier said than done. As soon as the author unleashed his unbridled imagination, it encountered bumps, obstacles, and walls. Imagination, as it seemed, was not unbridled after all. The author never knew that ingenuity could be a barrier for his breakthrough notions. For every idea that he conjured, there was already a corresponding physical manifestation — someone has already thought about it. 

                But, the author wouldn't be deterred; he trudged on. And after a few more days of thinking, pondering, and contemplating on viable new products or product improvements, he had his aha moment. This essay therefore is a discussion on a probable new product and an enumeration of viable product improvements.

                First on the list is in line with the author's interests in warfare, he thought of coming up with a new product primarily for the military: sophisticated robots. Nowadays, the robots that advanced militaries use are like the ones below. 

              They actually look like drones on wheels. And while they are effective, they're not nimble. They're not even the least bit stylish. Thus, the author thought of something different: a product both effective and nimble.

               

              He proposes the manufacturing of robots with features like that of a man. In short, the robots will have heads, torsos, arms, and legs. And they will kind of look like this:

                The robots can be as big as building or as small as a fire hydrant. And they won't be controlled via a panel, keyboard, or joy stick, as featured in the movie Real Steel, shown below.

                 It would instead be controlled via a direct cybernetic links, like in the cartoon Daimos. And the controller will be in a base somewhere, thousands of kilometers away from the actual fight. 

                So imagine a human controlling a robot, with the latter mimicking the movements of the former. Also, the commands shall be voice activated, thus no need for buttons. The robot, in this case, can move faster and react quicker. Whatever the controller thinks, the robot will instantaneously execute. And with the controller safely hidden in a base, body bags will be a thing of the past. The possibilities are intriguing.

                

               Also, aside from military applications, the concept above can be used for other pursuits. Space or deep see exploration can make use of these robots. Rescue situations, especially those involved in earthquake, fire, or nuclear fallout salvaging operations, can utilize the robot that the author conceptualized.  The applications are endless.

               

                Now, moving on to product improvements, the author thought of modifying an automated basketball passing machine, as the one shown below. 

               The problem with the contraption above is that it only passes in one direction. Thus, the person shooting hoops will have to run towards the spot where the machine is passing. And that is hardly ideal, since in actual basketball games, a player shoots successively from random spots on the court.

              

              To remedy the inadequacy above, the machines have to be programmed to follow wherever the player is going on the court. And this can be done; all it would take is for a machine to be programmed to scan for RFID tags. The player who has an RFID chip strapped on his body can move wherever he pleases. The passing machine will follow and pass the ball accordingly.

               

            The next on the list is an improvement on laptops and cellphones. Nowadays, people use their fingers either to type or text. And normally, typing or texting can be tedious, not to mention stressful or dangerous. 

             The author therefore would like companies like Apple or Nokia to manufacture laptops and cellphones without keyboards. Of course, some people will say that this product improvement is unoriginal. True, but only to an extent.

               The technology that the author discusses in the paragraph above stems from brain-computer interface. In fact, some have taken strides in this area, and have even produced prototypes. For instance, there are neuroscientists that have already developed a viable interface between brains and laptops. The picture below shows this.

              But, the problem with the present technology is that the interface is slow. And the laptops can only do one task at a time. The author therefore proposes a modification of the technology, to the point that laptops or cellphones, as the case may be, can actually do tasks as fast as the brain dictates. And that means shifting from one task to another. For instance, texting, calling, writing, designing and everything which can be done on a laptop or cellphone can be done rapidly one after the other, or even simultaneously if possible.

                All in all, the author hopes that his ideas can become reality in the near future. He feels that his ideas are more probable than possible. They're viable and doable. After all, who would have thought that in a click of a mouse, a punch of a key, or in one speed dial, everyone can communicate regardless of location? Also, who would have thought that everyone in the globe can be connected via a website called Facebook? In this day and age, with humanity's innovativeness is at its peak, anything can happen. Sky's the limit? No! There are no more limits.  

The new Tom Clancy?  Toys for the Big Boys?  Rommels Panzer? 4

Chosen Sources

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/4258963

http://www.roboticrevolutions.com/?p=41

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/reza-ilyasa?before=1306255569

http://www.thewallpapers.org/movies/real-steel.php

http://www.blingcheese.com/image/code/83/daimos.htm

http://www.svhs.ccs.k12.nc.us/sports/lbasketball/news/news.htm

http://www.clipartof.com/portfolio/a-papantoniou/illustration/stressed-and-overwhelmed-businessman-typing-away-on-his-laptop-at-his-desk-surrounded-by-stacks-of-files-20393.html

http://www.celltrakr.com/business/Business_Spending_and_Policies.aspx

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071107210708.htm

"New ideas create more and better new products and services; create more wealth."

NU 6 by JCB on Professionalism

"Innovate or DIE" "New ideas create more and better new products and services; create more wealth."

The Problem of Fading Professionalism

By

JCB

R090209

                Just recently, the author attended a meeting in which the main resource person was late for two hours. And because the resource person was integral to the author's project, cancelling the meeting was out of the picture. Naturally, this experience led the author to ask: is professionalism extinct already?

                

Indeed, the most prevalent and pervasive problem in Philippine business nowadays is tardiness or the Filipino's penchant for being late. Filipinos think that on time means arriving 15 minutes after the designated time. This problem is a concrete reason why most foreigners feel that Filipinos are incapable of being professional

                To solve the problem of Filipinos being late, the author proposes that chips be embedded inside every employee. And these chips will release electrical currents or mild shocks if the person is running late.

                Another idea is that chips will be engrafted inside the earlobes of every Filipino. And if late for a meeting or appointment, the chip will trigger an alarm. And this alarm will continue to ring until the tardy person arrives at the meeting or appointment.

                But, it's not just being late that erodes professionalism in the country: the Filipino's tendency to be meek and quiet when opinion when merited is also a problem. Being silent in this case is not only unproductive but it is unfair to colleagues and the organization. A case in point is the silence of Filipinos who attend meetings and never raise a point or question when asked. This leads to disastrous consequences because most of the time whatever had been discussed could have been better if only those attending spoke their minds.

                To remedy the situation of Filipinos being meek and quiet, the author proposes that a machine be invented which will project the thoughts of person. This invention will be a thought bubble maker. Ideas in this case will be projected on air like a hologram. The machine can take the form of a helmet which will project what is in the brain of the one wearing it. Of course, privacy will be an issue, and that is why the machine will be calibrated to probe for thoughts related to the meeting. Personal and private notions cannot be projected.

                Obviously, there are many more reasons why professionalism in Philippine business has been almost nonexistent. And there is no panacea that can solve all these ills in one fell swoop. But, there must be a start. Filipinos should learn that to be successful in business, respect, courtesy, and ethics are primordial. Without them, any Filipino will not thrive and survive. The time has come therefore to finally be professional. After all, that is the world's standard. And to refuse to follow that would be like going against the current. Only this time, it is not merited at all.  

3.5

NU 6 by JCB, What :Pisses You off at the Mall

What to do with Malls

By

JCB

R090209

                The shopping mall, or simply called mall is not the invention of the Filipino. To those who think that the Mall of Asia, Greenbelt, and Robinson's Galleria are indigenous ideas — they are not. But, poor Juan de la Cruz thinks otherwise. And who can blame him? Malls are everywhere. Almost every province in this country has a Gaisano or a Shoemart. The time has come therefore to be critical of these establishments.

                

               To start with, these malls eat a lot of space. As in a lot! They occupy hectares upon hectares of land, which could have been allotted for parks. In other countries, like the U.S., people relish going to parks on weekends. For them, parks are more important and noteworthy than malls. But for Filipinos, it's the opposite. The idea of relaxing at the park, running around under the sun, enjoying the fresh breeze, and having a picnic is completely alien to Filipinos. How sad.

              

               The malls also are not Mother Earth's best friend. They churn out tons and tons of garbage and emit CO2 like it is the safest thing to do.

            

              The other thing that that is completely irritating with the malls is their lack of parking. For some reason, the ratio of cars to parking spaces in every mall is 10:1, for every 10 cars there is only one parking space. Try going to Greenbelt on a Friday night, and the problem will come to life faster than one can spell P-A-R-K-I-N-G!

             

             Next on the list are those infuriating credit card sales agents who pester shoppers. They'll just pop out from nowhere and ask if the shopper is interested to get a credit card. They'll cajole and force the customer to sit down and listen to their sales talk. They're lucky that they haven't come across a customer who has a gun or a knife. And if they do, they would be killed on the spot. Good for them. Joke! Ok… Half-meant joke.

                

           Most of all, the crowds in the malls are the most annoying things of all. How can literally rubbing elbows with other mall goers be relaxing? How can having no space to walk on be considered fun? Some stupid mysteries are not worth solving at all.

             

              Given the list above, what needs to be done?

            

             As regards malls taking too much land, the solution lies with legislation. Congress should enact a law regulating how many hectares of land that a mall can buy and use. This is justifiable under the State's Police Power, which Professor Freund described as "the power promoting the public welfare by restraining and regulating the use of liberty and property." The execution of this is a bit doubtful since some lawmakers are dependent on the mall owners for campaign contributions. But, the mechanism is there; it's just a matter of having political will and character to push for it.

              

              Next, if the construction of malls cannot be regulated by a new law, then more novel and innovative approaches must be utilized.

               

            One tactic is to give incentives to mall owners to allot a portion of their properties for parks. For instance, malls shall have adjacent parks. The model is like that of Bonifacio High Street, but on a grander scale. And if mall owners do this, then they'll be given tax breaks or tax exemption schemes. All these contribute to giving people the parks that they deserve.  

              

          As regards the damage that these malls inflict on the environment, they should be told to manage their garbage and CO2 emissions. Although, most malls segregate their waste nowadays, the effort is not enough. They should be urged to adopt green methods and use environmentally safe materials. And with regard to their CO2 emissions, government should provide incentives to those malls which earn a lot of carbon credits. The incentives again can come in the form of tax breaks or tax exemption schemes.

             

            With regard to the parking problem, it can't be solve by buying more and more tracts of land. What needs to be done is an innovative and technological approach. For instance, the owners can build an adjacent building to their malls. And this building will be compartmentalized like a locker in which it will be divided into columns. And every column shall be stacked with cars. Conveyor belts or huge robotic technology will park the cars, so that the process will be precise.

          

            Another way of solving the parking problem is to burrow deep into the ground and apply the technology in the immediately preceding paragraph. All the drivers have to do is to go to a specific spot, leave their cars so that they can be lowered down to allotted compartments.

               

            The parking problem can also be solved by one of the oldest inventions known to man: the bicycle. Mall owners, in this case, shall give huge incentives or discounts to those who will use bikes to go to the malls. Of course, bikes cannot carry or transport T.V. Sets, Refrigerators, and other big appliances. The malls in this scenario shall provide free delivery of goods. The cost of the delivery shall be spread and carried over to the products being sold, food in dining establishments, and etc. Free delivery is akin to the Freemium concept in marketing.

             

           Moving on to the problem of pervasive and pesky credit card sales people, the solution is to shoot them on site…with airsoft guns. Some do wish that actual guns could be used, but that's felonious. Anyway, to rid the malls of these credit card sales people, they have to be eased out.(Legal lang Jonee)

            

          With the increasing power of social media, person to person sales are becoming less needed.  Ebay for instance is its own sales person. Facebook eliminates the need for a sales agent; the owner of the chattel can just sell himself via that platform. Considering all of these, malls can take advantage of all these innovations and send various sales pitches on behalf of these credit card companies to prospective customers via social media.

             

           Another way of solving the credit card sales person problem is via technology. Malls can be equipped with panels which act as huge advertisement or sales boards. Once a customer steps on a specific spot, the panels will light up and inform the consumer what can be bought in that mall's wing. So, the credit cards can be grouped to one of the mall's wings. This thereby eliminates the need for credit card to be offered to the shopper personally.  

          

           The last problem deals with the crowds that troop to the malls even if these structures are bursting at the seams. There is no quick fix solution for this, because the problem may be deeply rooted in Philippine culture already. Nonetheless, attempts must be made to rectify it.

            

             First, some qualification is in order. Crowds or the masa flock malls like SM and Robinsons. But, Greenbelt, Podium or Powerplant are not stuffed with people. Thus, the problem actually lies in the masa malls.

             

            Second, malls like SM or Robinsons become packed when either holds a sale. So, if there is no sale, then there will be less people.

            

           Having established the qualification, the next step is the action plan.

               

          To decongest the malls, SM and Robinsons, for instance, must learn to use social media. They should try to provide catalogues through Facebook so that the crowds will already have an inkling of what to buy before going to the mall.

           

          Also, the malls should have conveyor belts so that people will just take a ride on them and step off when needed. This will ensure mobility within the mall.

           

         Next, the malls should have interactive panels everywhere. So that when a customer wants to find a specific product, all it has to do is to ask the interactive panel. The machine in turn will answer the shopper. This is akin to the Siri technology now present in the IPhone 4S. With this innovation, shoppers will know where to find the item that they want, and if they are unsure, the panel can give them top three choices to choose from. All these will eventually lead to less traffic within the malls because people wouldn't be bouncing around from one place to another.

         

          Another idea is for the malls to tie up with telecom companies. The malls will give maps of their layout to the telecom companies, which in turn will only be activated within a few meters of a various pathways. For example, the shopper is about leave the toys section. And the next sections are clothes and shoes. The map will suddenly activate and show the shopper the various ways to go to either the clothes or shoes departments. And once the customer arrives at the desired destination, the map will turn off. Most of all, the administration and finance offices of these malls won't be included in the map. This would be like Harry Potter's Marauder's Map. Again, with this technology aimless walking will be lessened.

           

        Still, another proposal is that malls can tie up with robotics companies to build shopping droids. Following a specific list, these robots will shop for their owners. Obviously, cost will be an issue in this case, and the poor can't afford this luxury. So the robot manufacturers should provide low cost droids with limited service cycles. This is akin to a one or two day cell phone load. The low cost droids can only run for a short period and would have to be reactivated, via payment of new credit to their manufacturers.

          

        All in all, the malls can be a source of irritation, but with modifications and innovations they possibly be a good place to rest, relax, and enjoy. But, people will eventually learn that there is so much that can be done outside of the confines of a mall. Customers in the end will discover that happiness cannot be found by haggling over discounted products. Troglodytes would have to get out of the cave sometime. 4

NU 6 by JCB, What Pisses You Off at the Neighborhood

Why The Author is Pissed Off:

A Story of Neighborhood Banes

Loosely based on true events

By

JCB

R090209

The author looks at his watch; it is 12:00 midnight, the witching hour. Hoping that everything is tranquil, he then decides to step out to look at his surroundings. He immediately notices that the streets are empty. No one is walking and even stray cats have decided to pack it in. Cars are in their garages, not moving and resting for tomorrow. The streetlights are doing their duties, providing light to empty pathways. The sky, for its part, dark, brooding, and encompassing, looms and looks over the households, holding off the sun until everyone has rested. And except for sporadic gusts of wind, only a slight breeze can be consistently felt. Seemingly, peace reigns. Silence and tranquility are pervasive. The author then takes a deep breath, ready to relax until… annoyances shatter the harmony.

On his right, there are houses which pulsate with life. Their occupants play poker or mahjong, shouting and laughing, till the sun says hi. On his left, a dog urinates on his lawn. He does not own it. It belongs to a neighbor who does not have the decency to keep his canine indoors. The author then looks at the empty street in front of him and hears an arriving car. It cannot be mistaken for something else because people from Timbuktu can hear its speakers. All these irritate, infuriate, and exasperate the author. And they all happen repeatedly.

Having seen the irritants in his life again, he then says enough is enough. He'll take a stand and proceeds to imagine, thinking of ways and means to address all these distractions. The author's mind percolates, searching and considering every possibility.

He first thinks about how to deal with the yakking, yapping, and yelling poker and mahjong players. Hmmm, he says. The author imagines the possibility of filing cases against these people, i.e., Alarms and Scandals and Unjust Vexation, both punishable under the Revised Penal Code. He can also opt to file a civil suit for damages.  The author thinks these cases, especially the civil suit, can prosper because of the damage that his ears have suffered. Let them agonize, he says.

The author, however, rethinks the strategy above. He feels that the plan is adversarial and unproductive. So instead of filing cases, the author will ask these boisterous poker and mahjong enthusiasts to play professionally. And since they can engage in marathon gambling, joining tournaments that last for days won't be a problem. The author shall even bankroll them, which means additional profit for him. So, it's good riddance and good money in one fell swoop.

         

            The author then turns his sight on the dog that urinated on his lawn. Castration is an option. Hmmm, too cruel, he says. How about involving dog butchers? That may be a tad barbaric. Kill it on site? That's a thought, but in the absence of the canine being an evident threat, gunning it down is out of the picture. The author continues to ponder, still trying to determine what to do. And then it hit him — an Aha moment!

          

            Since the hound is virtually awake at night, then it can go on patrol. It can accompany the homeowners who go on voluntary guard duty. Naturally, the dog will have to undergo training with a K9 trainer. But, if the plan succeeds, then pet dogs from Chihuahuas to Dobermans can be patrol canines. The author of course will get in on the action by exploiting this new industry. He'll enter into a partnership with the K9 trainer and both of them will look for owners willing to transform their dogs into part time patrol hounds.

         

            The author then turns his attention to the worst distraction of all: the car with blaring speakers. He looks and surveys it, thinking of ways to shut it down. Blowing it to smithereens comes to mind, but the author does not have the capacity or the resources to do that. Thank God. Towing it to the junk shop is also an option, but that entails a court order. There's no time for that, the author says. He also considers using a miniature pinch device, one which can knock out the electrical system of the car. But, only Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man has that kind of tech, which unfortunately exists in the make believe world of the Marvel Universe. So, that's also out of the question.

         

            But, he won't give up. He'll think of something.

         

           The author then decides to sit down. Minutes turn into hours, and still he can't think of anything.

          

            It's already 2:00 a.m. and nothing comes to mind. It seems the author cannot overcome this final hurdle: the car with the blasted and infernal blaring speakers.

        

            The author thinks, and thinks some more. And then, it hit him. He knows what to do.

        

         He then approaches the owner of the vehicle and says: "Bro, can you kindly turn the volume of your music down? Everyone knows that you have the loudest goddamn speakers in the neighborhood. There is no need to prove it every night"

          

            The car owner is taken aback and in a perplexed manner looks at the author who then says: "I thought everyone likes the music that I am playing, because no one complains."

           

           The author, in turn, says: "Everyone wants to complain, but they can't because your thundering music drowns their voices."

         

           "I'm sorry," the car owner says.

          

           "It's ok," the author replies.

        

           And as the author was about to walk away, he then says to the car owner: "So, you like playing loud music in public?"

        

          "Yes," the car owner blurts out.

          

          "You want to make money out of it?" the author fires back.

         

          "How?" the car owner asks.

      

        "Well, I got a few old vehicles in storage and they're still operational. If you want we can become partners. You'll put your speakers on these old vans, and we can rent them out to politicians, events, and advertisers. These vehicles therefore will be mobile music systems which can be used during campaigns, parties, and marketing campaigns. So, what to do you think?" the author asks.

         

         "Sounds good," the car owner enthusiastically answers.

          

         "Ok, let's talk about it some more, but for now let me sleep. And I can only do that if you don't turn on your speakers to decibel smashing levels," the author says.

        

         And with that, the author heads back to his house. He is happy because he has finally thought of ways to deal with the different things in his neighborhood that annoy him. He can finally enjoy the peace and quiet that he wants. The sun is about to rise in a few hours. And with that, another day beckons. Things are good. 3.5