Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Business in Cambodia


I am currently in Cambodia working in a provincial not for profit organization with a friend. With this in mind I felt an international taste this month was in order.
My friend, Melina Chan, is a fellow RMIT Business graduate. She started working with the Cambodian organization SABORAS in February 2008 as a participant in the annual Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) program. Her main role here is to ‘capacity build’ the organizations managers and develop their professional English, business procedures and proposal writing.
Cambodia is certainly in development mode with over 500 international and national not for profit organizations at work, including the highly publicized ‘Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation’ which works at improving the areas of environment and children. A lot of the hardships these organizations are working on addressing have taken place after the 1975 Communist Khmer Rouge regime which systematically executed over 1.5 million of the countries most educated and influential people.
Despite these startling obstacles the Cambodian people are extremely beautiful and gracious. Their history has left a cautiously resilient and young population to rebuild a new culture, education and industries. Recent elections sustained the slow reintroduction of democracy to the country. International delegates, including Australian parliamentarians oversaw the Cambodian People’s Party (who has been in power for 25 years), get reelected for another five years.
The countries average economic growth of 5% has been largely driven by expansion within the garment and tourism sectors. Clothing exports were fostered by the 1999 United States of America and Cambodian Bilateral Textile Agreement guaranteeing Cambodia a quota of US textile imports. Currently, the US receives approximately 50% of Cambodia’s total exports. The agreement also offered a bonus if Cambodia could improve working conditions to meet international labor standards. Cambodia also exports to Germany, the United Kingdom, Vietnam and Canada.
SABORAS is a small local not for profit organization hoping to take advantage of such international opportunities. Established in provincial Battambang they are funded mainly by various international donors. Strains on the international economy have hurt funding for one of the organizations most successful initiatives, the ‘Apprentices for Youth’ Program (AYP).
The AYP has received only 40% of necessary funding this financial year and may be forced to drop the number of apprentices from 30 to 12. The US$16,000 of funds not received would have been used to educated and train 18 potential mechanics, electricians, IT professionals, beauticians, dressmakers and bakers. Previous years has seen intakes achieve a 90% success rate of graduation and future employment.
As the Cambodian population lacks education and new skills (particularly in the above jobs) programs like the AYP are essential for the countries development for two important reasons:
1) To assist build regional areas who suffer a drastic lack of infrastructure
2) To skill the emerging labor forces of 1million young people
The handicrafts project I am assisting with as apart of the SABORAS AYAD program offers vocational training and accommodation for disabled women. The students learn how to design and sew kromars (traditional scarves), shirts, hand bags and more. Products are currently sold at local hotels, markets and shops in Battambang and Phnom Penh. The mission of SABORAS Handicraft is to build a handicraft centre in Battambang to fair trade standards while delivering a sustainable livelihood to its students and community.
This month the organization will sell their first products overseas and pursue growth opportunities in the Australian market. My hope is to secure these channels in time for the busy Christmas period and create a sustainable future for this great project. The organization aspires to sell their innovative products via their website, mail order and Australian community markets.
If you are interested in supporting the ‘Apprenticeships for Youth’ or handicraft projects by purchasing some of their products or donating money please go to www.saboras.org or contact me directly at lindamargaretscott21@gmail.com for more information. You’re support is greatly appreciated.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Cambodian Facts and Figures

Interesting Cultural Facts
The Days
The Cambodian business day is based around the hot afternoons and history in agriculture. Most Cambodian people get up every morning at 5am for morning stretches and exercises and begin work at 7am. Everywhere from banks, to temples, to offices and tourist attractions have a two hour lunch break from approximately 11am to 1pm. Most people spend go home and spend these two hours sleeping and eating. The afternoon is spent at work from approximately 1pm to 5pm. Most Cambodian’s, particularly women, do not feel safe traveling after 8pm and prefer to be in bed by 9pm.
The Weather
There are two seasons in Cambodia, the wet and the dry. As the climate changes there is a lot of discussion about when exactly these seasons begin and end. But generally November to May is the dry season (more popular tourist season) and June to October is the wet season. During the wet season the rain is usually very regular and will rain heavily from 1pm-4pm every day. The whole country stops while it rains as people prefer not to travel for fear of flooding and poor visibility.
Number Crunch
Cambodia 2006 figures
Population
Approx 14million
Gross Domestic Product
Approx $27billion (Less then the Beijing Olympics)
Real Growth Rate
Approx 5.5%
Employment
Labor in agriculture 75%
Unemployed 2.5%
Below poverty line 40%
Aid Donations
Approx $500million
Religion
95% Buddhist
Age
Medium age approx 20 years
Only 3% over 65 years
SABORAS
Handicraft Wage
US $40 a month
Commissions per item
US $1
Item retail prices
$4 - $8
Handicraft Students
6
Funding met
40%
Further required funding
US $16,000

"Eat, Pray, Love" - Book Review

Extract from page 23
I was actually feeling kind of delighted about all the compartments of time and space that were appearing in my days, during which I could ask myself the radical new question: “What do you want to do, Liz?”
Most of the time I didn’t even dare to answer the question, but just thrilled privately to its existence. And when I finally started to answer, I did so cautiously. I would only allow myself to express little baby-step wants. Like:
‘I want to go to a Yoga class.’
‘I want to leave this party early, so I can go home and read a novel.’
‘I want to buy myself a new pencil box.’
Then there would always be that one weird answer, same every time:
‘I want to learn how to speak Italian.’
Eat Pray Love
This month I had three good friends recommend me a book, the same book, at the same time! An omen that even I could not ignore. Suddenly the four of us were calling each other as we read and found ourselves holding impromptu book club meetings that involved whiteboard markers and excel spreadsheets!
‘Eat Pray Love’ is a brilliant snap shot of Elizabeth Gilbert’s year of self discovery that every female can relate to. Gilbert shares her methods and ideas for improving one’s life. Her honesty is so contagious that I too found myself wanting to write a pledge, meditate and eat pasta! The book itself has been translated into 30 languages, has sold 5 million copies worldwide and is about to star Julia Roberts in a blockbuster movie. So, you know, it’s doing ok.
About the Author
Elizabeth Gilbert was born in Connecticut in 1969. Her older sister, Catherine Murdock is also an author (‘Dairy Queen’ and ‘The Off Season’). Gilbert’s writings have appeared in popular magazines and were the basis of Disney’s ‘Coyote Ugly’. This year she was voted by Time Magazine as one of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’. Wow!
Her books include:
‘Pilgrims’ - New York Times Notable Book, Pushcart Prize Winner, PEN/Hemingway Award Finalist
‘Stern Men’ - New York Times Notable book
‘The Last American Man’ - 2002 The National Book Award Finalist, The National Book Critic’s Circle Award Finalist
Frankie’s Top 5 Favorite Leanings
1. Grow four legs
One of Gilbert’s first insights is a story of meeting an Indonesian medicine man. She expresses her desire to have a ‘lasting experience with god’ and he procedures to draw a beautiful picture of a women. The woman in the picture stands with hands ready to pray and four legs. Where the head should be there are wildflowers and ferns and over the heart is a smiling face.
I love this image of a woman with her feet firmly placed on the ground but watching the world through her heart. I get excited thinking about women embracing this confident yet faithful way of living!
2. Write a petition
In amongst the humor and story telling is Gilbert’s own pain and tough times. She has a moment of clarity on a long drive with a friend. Gilbert is encouraged to ask for what she wants. Not a new idea but one that many women often don’t do.
Gilbert writes a petition to the universe asking for her husband to sign the divorce papers. She then lists everyone she thinks would agree to sign this petition.
My fellow book club members and I now have lists of petitions and found its amazing how many people want to see you happy. It’s more then you can imagine, literally.
3. Standing still
I often feel I am in a race to ‘get happy’, filling my time with hundreds of pursuits that will supposedly make me feel more deserving, more fulfilled, useful etc. but often make me tired or angry. Gilbert travels across continents to find peace and self acceptance and in India she stays in an Ashram to learn meditation.
My favorite Zen master quote she ponders during her stay is, ‘You can not see your reflection in running water, only in still water.’ I know we can’t all disappear to India but for a few minute every day we can practice being still.
4. Be Your Own Best Friend
Throughout the book Gilbert talks and writes to herself, lending to a lot of the books charm as readers are allowed to hear her personal dialogue. She begs, laments, sooks and screams at herself but also cares for herself and learns to be more loving.
My favorite line in the book is when an exasperated Gilbert tells herself to simply, ‘Go back to bed Liz’. A sensible suggestion a kind friend would advise.
5. Four Brothers
For the times you need more then one best friend the book recommends you solicit the help of your four brothers, your guardian angels of sorts. Gilbert learns that Indonesians believe that we are born with family spirits whom we can ask for help.
Whether you interpret these spirits to be real or metaphoric, I like the idea that even when you can’t see anyone around you, you’re not alone.
Hopefully these tasters have inspired you to read more of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ and begin, complete or continue on your own journey. And if you do, it might be nice to get a girlfriend in on it to, who knows, you might need someone to sign your petition any day now.
Written by ‘Frankie’ Linda Scott

Dear Frankie: The chicken or the egg?

Question
I'm in a bit of a weird situation. I am in my final year of university following which I will be moving home for a year as I am contracted to a graduate job there for one year. My boyfriend does not want to move to my hometown and I do not want to do long distance especially seeing as he is likely to head to Australia. We have painfully admitted to each other that while we love each other we cannot see ourselves being together in the long-term so there is no point trying to negotiate a way of working our relationship into the next year’s changes.

My predicament is therefore what do we do in the meantime? Currently we have decided to stay together till then as we live only houses apart and share the same group of friends therefore would be miserable seeing each other but not being together. My best friend thinks that I should start moving on and break-up with him now however I think that the break-up would be easier when we are living apart and will not be seeing each other constantly.

I’m 22 almost 23 and am worried that I shouldn't be wasting my time when I could be out there finding someone who is my future. What do you think? Are we stupid for just delaying the inevitable?
Thanks,
Anonymously torn
Answer
Dear anonymously torn,
Your name sums the situation up perfectly. ‘Anonymously Torn’ you must become ‘Accountably Decisive’. To do this you need to:
- MAKE decisions based on facts, not assumptions
- STICK to your decisions
You haven’t pleaded your case that you love him, only that you will miss him from a front row seat. Causing me to think you have two options.
Option One – You feel moving cities is a comfortable way to leave him, but not the real reason. You are confident this is not a lasting relationship. You are looking for a way out that won’t hurt people’s feelings. If this is the case, don’t waste another second and end it now!
Option Two – You feel you are in a good relationship and the change of location is the real reason you want to break up. If so, try and enjoy your time together and diplomatically separate when you leave. This will be the easiest way to move forward.
It sounds like you have based current relationship decisions on a lot of assumptions.
- You assume now that you do not want to be together in the long-term.
- You assume he will move to Australia.
- You assume he will not go to your home town.
- And, you assume that your graduate role will work out and you will stay there.
If a single assumption changes the decision you make now will be useless, and on the table for constant change, opening this emotional wound again and again.
Therefore, it is important to trust your instincts and stick to them. I know I’m being hard but you are still young and you must protect your heart as best you can. Whether that be from leaving a boy you love, or staying with a boy you don’t. It’s your decision.
Good luck,
Frankie

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Frankie's 5 Men You'll Meet Before Mr. Right

If you've ever felt a sneaky suspicion he's not quite right for you, then you need to read our guide to the five boys that aren't forever material...
Generation Y dating habits swing between chronic impatience and the need to ‘try before we buy’. We all want to find Mr. Right NOW but don’t believe in settling for the first guy that comes our way. What? Basically, we are our own worst enemies. Most of us try on many partners to learn about ourselves, what we like and confirm our final choice is the absolute best available.

But for how long do we window shop? I often worry that if I wait until I am 30 to settle down all the good bargains will have been snapped up! OK, enough with the shopping metaphor but you see what I’m getting at. So, I have devised a ‘top 5 boys’ list of guys you should date before you settle down with the one.

The bad boyThink Tyler Durden from Fight Club or ‘Mad’ Max. He’ is intense, rough around the edges, a leader but also a bit of a loner, detached and a hard arse (hopefully has hard abs too!)
What’s attractive?Bad is hot. Big muscles, car grease, devil may care attitudes – yum yum! They ooze confidence and you love them paying attention to you. Everything they do is exciting, spontaneous and risky.
What’s not so attractive?His spontaneous behavior will also apply to you, he’ll stand you up, treat you mean and even embarrass you. His unreliable nature will wear thin pretty quickly as you begin to feel used and ignored. Intimacy is not a strength of his and the more you want it, the less he gives.
What he’ll teach you?Once you’ve seen the other side of the grass is not greener, you will be more content to stay on straight side of the wild side. You will appreciate the steadiness and loyalty of your final partner and truly understand that you cannot change people.
The passionate lover
Think Leo in Romeo and Juliet. The passionate lover is absolutely besotted with you, and you with him. You will want to spend every minute together and fulfill each other’s every need. A very intense emotional relationship with amazing highs and soul crushing lows.
What’s attractive?You feel like a goddess! You feel loved, worshipped and your estrogen levels are going crazy. Your world is filled with sunshine and lollipops.
What’s not so attractive?Suddenly the attentiveness becomes needy, overbearing and you feel suffocated. This kind of love is unsustainable and unhealthy. Many women will feel that they loose their sense of self and isolate loved ones.
What he’ll teach you?You will tackle the question ‘is love enough?’ and discover what else is important to you. Things such as compatibility, unconditionally support, truth and reality will lead you away from the fragile Disney picture of happily ever after.
The box ticker
Think Aidan Shaw in Sex in the City. The box ticker is the kind of guy your mother would pick, and your family will love him at Christmas dinners. He has a respectable stable job, is good with cars, can kill spiders and will always tell you your bum looks great in that skirt!
What’s attractive?It’s easy, everyone will love him and on paper, so do you. He treats you with respect and you can map out the rest of your blissful life together in a committed adult relationship.
What’s not so attractive?Predictable can be boring, life is too short not to reach for the stars. Your heart does not always agree with your head, and you may feel repressed and resentful in the future.
What he’ll teach you?This time the question, ‘is sensible enough?’ will plague you. Suddenly new things you hadn’t thought of before are important to you - like being challenged, learning and having passion.

The Chloe Handbag
Think Hollywood’s A list - Jude Law, Orlando Bloom or Jesse Metcalfe. He usually dresses like a model, is swarve, charismatic, charming and everyone will be so jealous of you!
What’s attractive?He is! And so are you when you are showing him off. Your photo album never looked better! You feel the need to introduce him to everyone you’ve ever met referring to him as ‘your boyfriend’ every opportunity you get!
What’s not so attractive?You know you deserve the finest in the world but you are secretly worried. Worried he’s going to cheat, you’re not attractive enough, why he is he with me at all and that it won't last. This leads to an insecure foundation and eventual heartbreak.
What he’ll teach you?Once you’ve proven to yourself you can get the stud you can focus on a 'good personality'. Personal priorities appear, ‘am I willing to spend that much time maintaining the outside appearance?' Your grandmother told you, but now you believe her ‘looks aren’t everything.'


The diamond in the rough
Think poor Albert Brennaman in Hitch or Harry Goldenblatt in Sex and the City. The diamond in the rough is an old-fashioned fixer upper. He is endearing, makes a good friend, is a tad socially awkward and usually has some random specialty.
What’s attractive?His comfortable and loving nature puts you at ease. You find his little flaws, that only you understand, charming. You value each other and smile when you think about him.
What’s not so attractive?It may be difficult for your friends and family to understand the attraction and to accept him straight away. His faults will become too hard to look past making you frustrated, and the rough may mean you are not as attracted to him as you want.
What he’ll teach you?He will teach you the value in getting to know the genuine individual within and that nobody is perfect, even you.
Once you have been with these five you will have experienced a variety of the highs and lows that love offers. You will have learnt what’s truly important to you and the strengths you can offer to your Mr. Forever. Don’t forget, he’s out there trying to find you too!

Good Luck!
Frankie

Frankie's Oprah Career Makeover

Taking this month’s theme to heart, our girl Frankie called in Oprah for a little help to find her career G spot! This month she talks us through how you too can utilize your individual strengths to shine in all facets of your life, including your career!
What’s the deal?
I, like many young women, am searching for a meaningful career where I enjoy getting up in the morning. I want to contribute to society, earn good money and be happy. When I heard about the free online eight part workshop I thought, ‘This is it! A way to pinpoint my strengths and work towards my perfect job, now!’
Each session runs for approximately 20 minutes and helps you identify your individual strengths and weaknesses. It then teaches you how to utilize them to love your job. Each session can be listened to via iTunes or streamed as a webcast.
Oprah’s involved?
Of course! We know I love Oprah and now I love her friend Marcus Buckingham, a well known career expert too! As well as being a gorgeous English graduate from Cambridge, he has revolutionized the world of employee productivity and leadership; spending two decades helping people find their own strengths and long-lasting personal success.
What’s in it for me?
Most workers spend 90% of their day on things they don’t like doing! Buckingham aims at reducing that to only the essential 25%, and then tries to make those things fun too! His biggest catch cry is, ‘Stop trying to improve your weaknesses!’, as most people do not change; they simply become more intense versions of themselves. Buckingham looks at making sure we work at intensifying our strengths!
What should I tell my boss so she’ll help me?
Managers should be rejoicing your interest in identifying your strengths, so tell your boss “Buckingham says, ‘companies that focus on cultivating employees' strengths rather than simply improving their weaknesses stand to dramatically increase efficiency while allowing for maximum personal growth and success.” She will definitely be impressed!


Sounds great! How do I get started?
1:
Click here to visit Oprah's site and download the homework sheets. Yes, there are questions to be answered between sessions.

2:
The first session asks you to keep a list of things throughout a week that you love (feel strong doing) and loath (feel weak doing) e.g. ‘I felt strong when I was being spontaneous and taking a risk’ and ‘I felt weak when I was wasting time’.

3:
Watch the classes in order and listen to Buckingham’s great ideas and activities. He discussed, ‘strength statements’, the Peter principle, goal setting, myth busting and much much more.
What are my favourite lessons?
I learnt a lot from this course which I have been able to use straight away in my work and home life. The idea that, ‘just because you are good at something does not mean it’s a strength!’ opened my eyes to the guilt I felt from not enjoying things others think I am good at. Use the table below to find out if the activities you undertake are hobbies, strengths or weaknesses. We are aiming for all yes.









Then, once we have understood what a strength is we can use these strategies to improve it.

Strength Strategy – ‘FREE’
Focus: Identify your strengths in your current job, how can we do more of these?
Release: Identify missed strength opportunities and deliberately try to incorporate them in your daily role
Educate: Is there a skill you could learn to improve a strength?
Expand: Push your job towards your strengths, highly successful people don’t ‘find’ their perfect jobs, they build them

I’ve found my G spot, now I’m hungry for more job satisfaction…

The Oprah website has lots of information on Buckingham and his work, but if you decide to buy the most recent Gallup book, ‘Strength Finder 2.0’ you can use the code from there and log onto StrengthsFinder.com to take the ‘strength finder quiz’.
Oprah has interviewed lots of interesting business people and employment specialists. Click here to visit Oprah's site to get career advice from 'The Donald' (Donald Trump, including his controversial answers to ‘Should women use sex appeal to get ahead?’ and ‘Do you think it's a sign of weakness if a woman cries at the workplace?’
Whatever you do, do it regularly and do it with conviction. The only person who can best assess opportunities for you, is you! I found taking the course helped me believe I have individual strengths and that these strengths should be maximized in my work for the greatest results. Once you know who you are, shine.
Love Frankie xxx

Dear Frankie: Is he just a rebound?





Q: Dear Frankie,
I recently got out of a very unhealthy relationship with a guy I thought was 'the one', and who I would spend the rest of my life with. I am now in a new relationship, seven months later, and I'm not sure whether or not this is a rebound. My heart is telling me that I have true feelings for this new guy, although my mind seems to be second guessing my decision.

I really think I have feelings for this guy, but some of my thoughts keep strolling back to my old significant other. I'm confused about what to do, without seeming desperate to my new guy.

I believe that my new man is starting to catch on to my insecurity. How do I figure out whether or not this new relationship is meant to be, or if it's just a rebound?

Confused Heart


A: Dear Confused Heart,

I can hear the true angst you are feeling and I’ve spent the week pondering what the essence of the problem really is. Maybe you are:
1) Secretly missing the ex?

2) Trying to find an excuse not to stay with the new ‘rebound’ guy?

3) Genuinely worried about settling, worried you’ll miss out on something better?
If you’re missing the ex – snap out of it! Easier said then done I hear you say, but he sounds like the jerk of jerks, a waste of unhealthy time. If you do find your mind wandering back to him spend the time thinking about the lessons he taught you; ‘He taught me to always respect myself and expect others to do the same’ or ‘He taught me next time not to rush into intimacy so quickly.’ Be grateful that something positive came out of that relationship, then think good riddance!

Second option is more subconscious. I have never understood the term ‘rebound’. Does this mean every boyfriend after your first boyfriend is a rebound? It seems ridiculous! Another silly social faux par made up so people can judge you - get with a guy too quickly and you’re on the rebound – too slowly and you’re destined to be Bridget Jones? Don’t let others dictate your behavior, you are the only one that knows how long your heart takes to heal and how long during the last relationship you were hurting.

Finally, you seem to be like many women waiting for the ‘meant to be’ guy. We believe in the magic of ‘the right place and right time’ but then restrict it to after a period of being single? Nice guys are hard to find on a good day with a compass! Don’t risk losing this new one over nothing. If you’re still not sure maybe tell him you want to have some fun with it! Slow down, the guy probably doesn’t want to commit too heavily yet either.

So Confused Heart I would recommend you listen to your instincts. What is the real problem here? Basically, we want to avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater!’ If you decide he’s just a rebound and you would rather wait for ‘the one’, get rid of him and wait. Or, if the problem is your own perception and expectations (the bathwater) work them out while you work on your relationship too (the baby).
Good luck!!

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE MONTH

Steve Vizard

Mr. Vizard has been receiving a lot of press in the past few years and probably a lot of us are still confused as to what he really did. Basically he didn’t listen to his own advice on insider trading he gave to the Sunday program in July 2000.

"You have to inform every board you are on of the business you are involved with ... you have to tell them you are involved with that business, declare your position, not be involved in any decision-making process that the company you are involved with makes."

This isn’t just good advice, this is the commonwealth law of any board of directors.

Stephan William Vizard was born 6 March 1956 (1956-03-06) in Richmond Victoria and is an old Carey Grammar boy. He is married with five children. Originally a corporate lawyer after graduating from Melbourne University Law he moved to television in 1989. He produced the comedy show, ‘The Eleventh Hour’ and won a Golden Logie in 1991 for his work in ‘Fast Forward’.
Other awards include his 1997 Order of Australia, for service to the community, through his established Vizard Foundation, and to the arts. Earlier this year he returned this award after the insider trading scandal. In 2002, he received the Australian Father Of The Year award.
He retired from television in the mid 1990’s and went back into business and philanthropy. In 1996 he became one of the directors of Telstra for four years. During the final year of his term at Telstra claims of $3 million of accountancy fraud and insider trading arose between Vizard and a college. In 2005 he was fined and sentenced to 10 years disqualification.
Moral of the story: Stick to what you’re good at and don’t get too greedy.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

MAY NZ GIRL Second Sneak Peak!


Q: Dear Frankie,
My groomsman won’t talk to my head bridesmaid! Just to paint the picture, the groomsman is my fiancés brother, and the head bridesmaid is my best friend. They used to date for three years, and the wedding is going to be awkward for them. Head bridesmaid
has been like a sister to me since we first met at the age of eight.
We have tried to arrange minimal contact for my sake. However, he continues to ignore her, gets grumpy when she rings and constantly bitches about her to me.
What should I do? A very Stressed Bride!
A: Dear Stressed Bride,
Ok, so this is a tricky one because there are multiple peoples’ feelings involved and you have to live with these people basically until death do you part, right? Unfortunately, you probably don’t want to pull a Donald Trump and say, ‘You’re fired!’ and walk away.
First question is: I understand these two people are important to you, but are they as important as yourself and your fiancé? I would hope the answer to this is no, of course not. This guy and you are about to do something pretty scary! Probably not much else is as important as this. Whether it is a wedding or a casual dinner party, you wouldn’t allow a guests’ negativity or problems to bring you down after you.
Second question is: And what is the purpose of a big wedding in general? I would hazard a guess that the reason you didn’t just run off and elope with your hubbie is because you wanted to share the special day with your friends and family? Yes? I don’t think their behaviour is allowing you to do this. You’re not having this big expensive party so your friends can have a free meal and carefree day while you stress and minimize awkwardness!
Third question: What is their fundamental role as head bridesmaid and groomsman? I would imagine the role of your two sidekicks was to handle any problems that may occur for the special day, not to create problems of their own! I’m worried maybe you think their job it to look good in the outfits you picked out and make up the numbers in the group photos. If this is the case any old friends would probably do!
Finally, I’m interested in why they declined to stand down but continue to act like small children? Maybe you could swap them with the page boys and flower girls so you had a more mature groomsman and maid of honour? If they were real friends, and as close and important as you think they are, they would put their differences aside and focus on you. You shouldn’t be made to feel guilty as you’ve done nothing wrong, but if they refuse to grow up and shape up maybe you should replace the guilt with a bit of strength and tell them to ship out!

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Monday, May 12, 2008

Tax Return Time

Ok kiddies, its tax return time, yeah!! I must confess that even I, a business nerd do not enjoy doing my tax return. But it must be done and hopefully you will get a bit of money out of it!
A financial year is from July 1st to June 30th the following year. This is the period of which your income is totaled and your tax is calculated from the tax you have already paid and that which you should have paid.
By the end of the financial year your employers should send you a group certificate as a total of your income and tax. You then have from July 1st to October 31st to lodge your tax return. Remember, the earlier you get it done the earlier you get any returns.
To carry out a tax return you must have a tax file number and group certificates from all of your employers over the past 12 months. If you don’t know if you need to lodge one go to http://calculators.ato.gov.au/scripts/axos/AXOS.asp and answer the questionnaire there to find out.
If you do have to complete one there are lots of ways to do so. You can go to www.ato.gov.au and complete the online e-tax section or over the phone. You can also pick up a hard copy of the TaxPack 2008 at newsagents and some book shops. Some registered tax agents offer student discounts to help do your tax returns. It can be a good idea to use a professional for this as they know the ins and outs of what can be deducted and get you your return quickly.
After you lodge your return they may say you owe the government tax. If this is the case the earliest you will have to pay it is November 21st, regardless of when you lodge your tax return.
Frequently asked questions around tax returns are about what work related expenses can you tax deduct? This is when a professional is handy. Basic things to think about are:

- Work uniforms with logos or embroidery on them are generally tax deductible
- Laundry and dry cleaning of these uniforms are also generally tax deductible
- Every industry and role will vary from what they will be allow to tax deduct. For instance, the modeling business will allow you to tax deduct haircuts and pedicures where as some sales role will include home internet and phone.
- Tax deductible car and public transport use is only considered between work hours. The use of your car or transport to get to and from work is not included.
- A percentage of educational expenses such as pencils, textbooks can be deducted if the studies are in direct connection with your employment.

Good luck and I hope it is as painless as possible!

Student Budgets

This month I want to write about the importance of understanding finances and budgeting. BORING I hear some of you groan, but it’s YOU who should read on! Unfortunately, whether you like it or not the world runs on money, economists call it the oil of the world. So best to keep your piece of the pie as yummy as possible!
What is the importance of budgeting?
What’s the point doing something if you don’t know why? When you begin budgeting you can have many reasons and great results. Some of these include:
- To know the truth about your financial state so you don’t get a scare or live beyond your means
- To use your money wisely so it better reflects your priorities and wants
- To save for something you really want maybe a ticket overseas, computer, car
- So you’re not getting ripped off by banks, other big institutions

Ok, so budgeting is important but how do I do it?
Keep a record of what you spend. There’s lots of ways of doing this, I keep a spreadsheet on my laptop but I use to write spending into the back of my diary. Some people keep all their receipts, others only use cards so they have a record online. However you do it you have to keep a record of where your money is going for budgeting and also in the future for tax.
I always start a budget by breaking down the cost of basic living weekly, fortnightly or monthly, whichever period works best for you. Refer to the useful links to get a downloadable or printable template to start budgeting with!
Firstly ask yourself what do you need, and how much do these cost. I have found some general ‘rules of thumbs’ for these. Rent or housing costs should equal about one third of your gross income (before tax). Utilities bills such as gas, water, electricity average about $2 to $3 a day in usage costs only, plus the annoying charges they seem to add on for no apparent reason, usually between $20-$30 a quarter. Transport is a real killer that lots of people forget. Tram tickets for students average to be about $3 a day, whilst cars can average $10 to $18 a day after insurance, servicing and petrol. Mobile phones and internet connections are always big killers for students’ hip pockets considered the number one cause of student debt. Generally you should not spend more then 10% of your net income (after tax) on these. Groceries are another big expense which can be difficult to calculate. I try to aim to spend no more then 20% of my net income on them. As students this probably doesn’t leave you with much! But if we can budget right we should have enough for the suggested 10% to 20% in savings.
The next thing is to look at what do you want to do? How much would you like to spend on going out, presents, clothes? What is necessary to keep you sane? Maybe you want to go to the movies once a week for $12 or out to dinner for $20, see a gig or get a few drinks at the local pub. Add these costs onto your budget too and see how realistic you’re expectations are.
An example of a typical student fortnightly budget might look like this:
Income - $680 net a fortnight
Work
$450
Net
Centrelink
$230
Net
Outgoings - $610 a fortnight
Rent
$290
Approx. one third of gross income
Bills
$30
Between $2 - $3 a day
Public Transport
$40
Between $2 - $3 a day
Phones & Internet
$35
Less then 10% of gross income
Groceries / Food
$155
Less then 20% of gross income
Going out
$60
Approx. $30 a week
Savings - $70 a fortnight
Between 10% and 20% of gross income
Not much room to move is there? This is why savings is important. If you lived on a knife edge like this and didn’t save you would have a very fragile lifestyle. Any little problem like an employer paying late, getting an infringement notice or going over on your phone bill will mean you won’t be able to make ends meet.
After you’ve done you’re budgets some ways of improving it should become clearer. In terms of spending maybe you need to change your mobile phone arrangements, find cheaper rent, eat in more or get rid of the car. Or maybe you find that you’re living comfortably within your basic needs and you are wasting lots of money on unnecessary things such as daily red bulls and trashy magazines? Maybe this money can be spent on bigger and better things instead.
On the other side of the coin maybe you need to earn more. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to work more. Changing your pay structure can help, for instance, if you are a casual employer and on Centrelink re-structuring your contract to a part time basis can even out your pay over holidays and sick days so you can claim more from Centrelink fortnightly. Or instead of working Saturdays try and work Sundays on a higher hourly rate. Or refer to last month’s magazine and ask for a pay rise!
Never the less, a budget should highlight that once daily needs are met you must prepare yourself for larger one off costs such as car insurance, a special friends birthday present, tickets to an expensive concert or a new piece of furniture etc. These things must therefore be saved for in advance, not via the credit card approach.
How to save
To save successfully it is important to have a goal. Ask yourself, how much do I want to save and by when i.e. ‘I want to have $1,200 by Christmas’, then work backwards. Ok, if Christmas is 26 weeks away I will have to save $46 a week,
26 x $46 = $1196.
But this is EVERY week, if you are likely to miss a few weeks over the next 6 months allow for this and factor it into your weekly amount say an extra $10. Therefore,
26 x $56 - $224 (4 missed weeks) = $1232.
If you currently have debt this should be your number one priority to save for and pay off. As a young person I often hear old people say, ‘In my day we didn’t live beyond our means and only bought things when we had the money in the bank.’ Well this is good in theory but our generation realizes that life is short and we take opportunities when they arise. This doesn’t mean you will never pay it back, it just means you have chosen to enjoy it now and pay for it later. When the ‘later’ comes be sure to pay your debts off from the one with the highest interest first. Many people make the mistake of paying the largest amount off first. The interest you save by paying off a higher interest card first will enable to you pay the lower one of faster later.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Tips on how to save

- Have multiple bank accounts, one for spending, and one for long term saving and one for medium term saving. This will stop you from spending it all at once.
- Look for account with high interest rates and low minimum amounts and charges.
- As soon as you receive income put the planned savings amount away. Do not wait until the end of the month to put it away because you will have spent it.
- Give yourself your planned spending amount in cash at the beginning of the week so you can see exactly how much you have left.
- If you are not good with cash buy things ahead of time so you’re not put in the situation of buying something on the spot where you are tempted to overspend.
- Consolidate multiple debts into one low interest loan, even if this means your parents pay your debts and you owe them the total amount.
- Avoid expensive supermarkets such as Safeway and Coles. Do your grocery shopping at markets such as Box Hill, Queen Victoria or Prahran for the vegetable, fruit and meat and get the other stuff from Aldi or BigW.
- Re-fill water bottles instead of buying new ones daily
- Buy your Metcards in bulk, 10 trips or monthly can save up to 20%
- Ask if you are eligible for discounts at bookshops, utilities, ticketing places etc.
- Structure your pay to include monthly bonuses and save the lump sum.
- Save any windfall or unexpected money such as tax returns, presents etc.
- Speak to your phone, internet, and utility providers regularly to see if any new cheaper plans are available.
- Plan your days spending as you start the day, don’t wait until you’re starving to think about how much you want to spend on lunch.
- Spend as regularly but spend less. Instead of getting the large meal, get the medium. Buy one CD instead of three.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

BUSINESS BOOK OF THE MONTH


‘Free Prize Inside’ By Seth Godin

All marketing students will know the prolific author Seth Godin, and probably have read his books ‘Purple Cow’ or ‘Permission Marketing’ (if you haven’t you should do so quickly before anyone realizes you haven’t!) His next read, ‘Free Prize Inside’ endeavors to offer ‘the next big marketing idea’.
Published in 2004 this bite size book is packaged in a cereal box with the book acting as the ‘free prize’. It can be read in a day or two and will get you itching to put its’ ideas into practice. Although pitched as a marketing man, Godin’s books, blogs, web presentations are interesting for anyone in business, which is everyone! He is a modern thinker and understands the modern consumer intimately, essential for us young movers and shakers in any industry.
‘Free Prize Inside’ is short and snappy in writing style, making it an easy read. It offers great practical advice in ‘cut out and carry with you’ form such as, ‘You can’t buy attention’ and ‘The harder you try to play it safe the more likely you are to fail’. He uses examples ranging from Redbull to David Letterman’s teeth to Yahoo! And demonstrates ideas in really simple graphs for visual people like myself!
In true marketing form he spends the first few chapters pumping up the book and how great it is that you’re reading it, someone bought it for you, you should buy it for other people etc. He includes a bit of business jargon some of which he has coined himself over the years such as, ‘champion’, ‘purple cow’, ‘edges’ but all in all very easy to understand.
My advice to best enjoy the Godin theology is to grab a copy of ‘Free Prize Inside’, skim over the headings, read the bits that sound interesting and sign up to his blog or watch some YouTube clips. However you do it, I hope you enjoy!

Friday, May 9, 2008

A Good Home Life with Housemates

After two years working in Real Estate I have heard a lot of bad housemate stories. Many tenants have had to leave houses due to messiness, inconsiderate noise, not paying rent on time and privacy issues. Apart from the odd unreasonable freak many of these household issues can be sorted out with a bit of ‘living’ preparation. Sit down and think about what is really important to you at home. Do you enjoy things being clean or would you rather live life and worry about the mess later? Discuss these things with your housemates at the beginning of the lease so everyone is very clear on everyone else’s expectations. Pin up these expectations somewhere communal so all housemates and their guests are reminded regularly. I have outlined some of the things I think are important to include.
Consider Other People and Their Belongings
§ Keep other housemate current with major life changes such as change of jobs, university courses, selling a car etc. as this may impact the whole house
§ When making decisions on or changing shared spaces such as where couches and TV’s are, or financial things such as internet you must consult with others and agree
§ Always ask to borrow clothes and personal items in person or via txt message
Guests are to be Respectful of Everyone
§ Guests are to be attended to by their host who is responsible for the guests behaviour
§ When returning home check if housemates are sleeping. If so, act quietly & SMS if anyone is staying over
§ Only people known/introduced to all housemates are allowed to stay over night
§ Guests may eat shared household and hosts personal food in moderation
§ If more then 5-6 people including host come over for a long period of time, a days notice to all housemates is required
§ If guests stay more then 3 - 4 nights a fortnight proportional contribution to household expenses is payable as agreed by housemates
Keep House and Housemates Safe at All Times
§ Locked and deadlocked front door when leaving the house empty
§ Front door is to be snipped locked so you can leave easy in case of emergency while people are sleeping
§ No spare keys are to be handed out to guests or hidden outside unless agreed to by all housemates
§ Do not discuss with others if the house is vacant or when a housemate is home alone for periods of time
All Bills to be Paid on Time
§ Rent paid weekly to main tenant
§ Water and Electricity and Gas to be paid quarterly by main tenant and reimbursed by each tenant pro-rata, according to period since commencement of lease
§ Use of utilities are to be used in reasonable amounts i.e. heaters, water, lights turned off when not in use
§ Gardening, shopping, shared household expenses to be recorded on household calendar and reimbursed monthly so each housemate has paid their share.

Household cleaning tasks to be shared among housemates
To be done fortnightly
Bathroom - Shower, Toilet, Sink, Floors
Vacuuming - All shared areas, and quickly in each bedroom
Outside – Watering, Mow lawns, Recycle bin out/in
Dusting - Surfaces, spider webs, books shelves
Moping – Tiled areas
To be done weekly
Outside – Garbage bin out/in
Lounge - Tidy and put personal items away when finished
Office - Tidy and put personal items away regularly
To be done daily
Kitchen
- Clean all dishes left in and around sink
- Stack dishwasher as you go and turn on when full
- Keep bench and table clear and clean each night