Work Life - Instant Work Life Balance Recovery Strategies for Busy People
If managing your time is important; then learning how to
manage your energy is vital. Here's why. Perhaps you can run
fast in your corporate world but how well can you recover
your energy? Elite athletes plan recovery cycles into their
intense training program. Over-training is madness and they
know it. Yet many corporate warriors have not made the
important connection between recovery and productivity, at
least not yet. You may be familiar with this scenario.
Joe did not get a good night's sleep. Too much on his mind.
He set the alarm for 5.30 am so he could prepare for the next
morning's management meeting. Half asleep, the alarm rattles
his nervous system. He checks his email before grabbing a
quick shower. He downs a coffee and is out the door before
his hair can dry.
The meeting goes OK, but only just. Lunch is fast food junk
and does nothing to nourish his body or mind. Forget his
soul! By mid afternoon, his concentration is lacking and he
is not the only one who notices. His boss cautions him to
'get with the program'. More pressure.
After a late evening working on another harrowing time driven
project, he staggers in the door of his apartment with another
version of fast food. There is still no real nourishment for
his body. A stiff drink or two and he is soon asleep in front
of an uncaring plasma TV.
Too much pressure, too little nourishment and no chance to
recover is a deadly combination. Be smart. Learn to recover
faster and more efficiently. Here's how
Plan to put 'recovery breaks' into your daily or weekly
routine. A recovery break is any activity that nourishes you,
your mind, body or spirit. These can be anything from a 5
minute walk in the sunshine to weekend gardening. It could be
a weekly workout in the gym, a game of golf or re-connecting
with a long lost hobby or passion. It could as simple as
leaving the office and having your healthy organic lunch in
the park.
One coaching client re-discovered her love of writing
children's stories as a way of balancing her demanding career
in law. Another found immense joy when he joined a singing
group.
full story......
November 9, 2010
Business Building - How to Motivate Under-Performing Personnel
Emulate High Performers
Direct your staff to model the behaviors of their well
accomplished colleagues. The more you and your staff are
presented with these positive archetypes, the more likely
they are to model that behavior and exhibit the high
performance you seek. This applies internally and externally,
on a group and individual level. In addition to being modeled
from outside sources, successful techniques should be shared
by different groups within your organization. In order to
perform at peak level, your staff must know the details of
the methods that bring results. Take time or set up meetings
to share success stories where your staff can share their
most effective strategies.
Believe in Your People
The Law of Expectation plays a key role in managing people.
Simply stated, it says, "In life, you get what you expect."
So, expect the best from your staff in order for them to
perform at a high level. Given the proper resources and
direction, good people will perform at your level of
expectations. As someone they respect, the more you believe
in their ability, the more they will believe in their own
ability. Confidence breeds confidence and success breeds
success. Responsibility given to the right people will
communicate a message that you expect more of them and they
will perform to reach that level of greatness.
Set Realistic Goals
Employees should know at all times what they are striving
toward and being held accountable for. It is important that
your team has clearly defined goals set at the beginning of
any evaluation period. There is nothing as disheartening as
being evaluated without being given prior written goals. Also
important to note is that goals assigned to employees should
be attainable and influenced by factors within their control.
You should support your staff by providing them whatever
resources they may require for the attainment of their
objectives.
Incentive Programs
Incentive programs should encourage behaviors that benefit
the organization and promote its mission and values. They
should offer enticements for employees to launch new
initiatives that will directly or indirectly boost morale,
generate revenue, and reduce expenses. Incentive programs
work to create a corporate culture that promotes initiative,
teamwork, and the generation of ideas for productivity
enhancements. They assist in fostering the development of new
business, as well as the projects that affect the bottom line.
As the old saying goes, "You get more from what you encourage
and reward." Management is no exception. full story......
October 24, 2010
African Heritage
Africa is home to some of the world’s most imaginative names. For the natives, the name you are given is more than just a labelling tag, and helps shape your destiny writes Sunday Monitor Correspondent KAMAU MUTUNGA:
The culture of a nation resides in the heart and soul of its people. But for the people of Madagascar, their culture goes beyond their hearts, hurts and hats to the way they construct their huts.
For an understanding of the soul of their culture, one has to begin with their rather long names. Sample some: Renomenjahary Sitrakinianiania Jean Zuetienne, Razanakoto Sendraviaka Pirisoa Fandeferana, Rafara Malala Fetra Nemenjanohary Yvette. And the winner; Rakotomampiononjaharx Romuladon Jean Patri.
How do they write them on their identity cards? Or national team jerseys?
Well, they shorten them. Sitrika, Miavaka, Nekena and Romulando from the above names respectively. Even the 12-letter Antananarivo, the capital city whose name means “the city of a thousand”, is truncated to “Tana.” But picture asking directions to a town called Antsohimbondrona? Or to the home of the resident with a tongue biting such as Randriana Goulam Aly Amine Florida Gildas?
Each Malagasy name of countless consonants and tongue-twisting, repeated sounds is a saying, revealing something or the other about birth order, state of the family at time of birth, hopes and desires for the person, and such.
Seriously speaking
The mouthful Razafindrandriasimaniry thus means “the grandson of the prince who envies nobody”.
Traditionally, only single names were used, unlike in other parts of the world where people have European names, surnames and family names written, and pronounced, separately.
This naming is part of the culture of the Malagasy, as the inhabitants of the island are called. And although gradually changing, it is still popular among the natives.
Women, in particular, acquire longer names when they get married. If, say, Sahondra Mukamalala Rakotomalala marries Andriatsiferanarivo, her new name becomes Sahondra Mukamalala Andriatsiferanarivo Rakotomalala.
In the country of “a thousand hills” (Rwanda), long names are also vogue, like Dukuzumuremyi, pronounced “Doo-koo-zoo-moo-rem-yee” — Rwandese for “praise be to God”. Another is Imanairere, a female name translating to “God help me to grow”, and Mukantagara (born in a time of war).
Most of the names reflect years of Belgian rule, and the first names are invariably Francophone. We are talking names such as Pacifique and Seraphine. The same can be discerned in the neigbouring Burundi, where Pierre Claver Rwingema and Pasteur Bizimungu are the names of the prime minister and president, respectively.
The Rwandese write their Kinyarwanda names in capital letters.
In Africa, a surname is a mark of one’s identity and evidence of one’s roots, with the last name adopted for the sustenance of one’s family lineage. But the Rwandese rarely use them, unless a family intentionally adopts it.
This trend presented problems during family reunification efforts in the wake of the 1994 genocide. Over two million people fled with their families, but, six years later, thousands of children were yet to be reunited with their families because their names offered no direction.
For humour, look no further than Zimbabwe and countries in southern Africa. It is not uncommon for people in the land of Comrade Bob to have names such as Enough, Energy, Genius, Smile, Gift, Justice, Brilliant, Trust, Knowledge, Honour, Wedding, Funeral, Passion, Clever, Everloving and Anywhere.
In southern Africa, parents name their children as a way of recording an event, circumstance or weather conditions at the time of birth.
If it’s windy or rainy when you pop out, then Wind or Rain will be your name! Parents who sire a baby after years of “trying” might name it Tendai, or ‘gratitude’. One born in times of trouble could be named Tambudzai, literary meaning “no rest”.
Reminders of colonisers
In most African countries, people’s names were reminders of their English, Portuguese, Dutch or French colonisers, a tradition that was reinforced by missionaries through imposition.
Gradually, traditional names were given their English equivalents. This explains the prevalence of names such as Givethanks Paradza, Happyton Bonyongwe and Norest Pongo. Have-a-Look Dube and Energy Murambandoro are well known Zimbabwean footballers for Njube Sundowns and Mpumalanga Football Clubs, respectively.
Again, this trend posed problems for the locals, as some Zimbabweans were saddled with “troubled” names. Take the editor of The Herald, Zimbabwe’s main government-controlled newspaper, for example. His family was in the middle of an internal feud when he was born. To mark that trying period, he told the New York Times in 2007, his parents named him... wait for this... Hatred! Hatred Zenenga.
A mother of 13 children — and who has had enough of the ritual — would typically name the last born Enough, while one who was so plagued by ailments that survival appeared dim became Godknows.The most humorous case to illustrate the ingenuity of the Southerners is the one of a father who joined Zimbabwe’s civil wars in the Congo. On coming back home, he was horrified to discover that his wife had given birth to a son while he was away and, to make his suspicions clear, named the son Never Trust A Woman!
Africans reverted to their traditional names to regain their lost heritage after independence, but they still retained the interesting mix of traditional, Western and Christian names.
Former DR Congo president Mobutu Sese Seko altered the private nature of names and naming when he changed his country’s name to Zaire in 1971.
Jail terms
That move, he said, was aimed at unveiling the official ideology of “authenticity”, and further decreed that all Zaireans must dispense with Christian and other Western names in favour of African tags.
Any priest found guilty of giving Zairean children Christian names during baptism faced a five-year jail term.
That’s how the Zairean soccer team to the 1974 (West) Germany World Cup managed to have this line-up: Mwepu Ilunga, Mantanta Kidumu, Uba Kembo Kembo, Etepe Kakoko, Mafu Kibonge and Kazadi Mwamba, among others.
Titles like Mr and Mrs were also dropped in favour of “Citizen”, and the president changed his name from Joseph Desire to Citizen Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Zabanga — or “The All-Conquering Warrior Who Will Go From Conquest To Conquest, Leaving Fire In His Wake”. A more succinct translation in the Tshiluba tongue means “The Invincible Warrior; The Cock Who Leaves No Chick Intact”.
Besides personal names, “The great Strategist” also changed names of rivers and towns. River Congo became River Zaire. The towns of Leopoldville, Elizabethville and Stanleyville became Kinshasa, Lumbumbashi and Kisangani respectively.
Building a national spirit also included abandoning Western fashion for printed cloth for women, and collarless, Mao-style tunics for men, which were worn without shirt or tie. They became Mobutu’s signature dress code, complete with a leopard skin hat and thick, black-framed glasses.
And while “The Great Saviour” ironically ordered the shunning of most things Western while selling his country to big French and American corporations, this wave of nationalism produced a period of extraordinary creativity in fashion and music that saw the emergence of Zaire as a continental music powerhouse via the Congolese Rhumba genre of Franco, Tabu Ley, Baba Gaston and Dr Niko Kasanda.
As Howard French notes in Anatomy of an Autocracy, Zaireans “endured 31 years of a stupid, vicious dictatorship while cooking up the best music and tastiest caterpillars on the continent”.
In 1997, General Laurent Kabila took over control of Zaire when Mobutu was forced into exile in Morocco, and reverted it to its old name, the Democratic Republic of Congo, its sixth overall change of name. Citizens could also reclaim their names if they wished, he decreed.
Spared balderdash
North Africans, however, were spared such balderdash as they carry names connoting their Muslim faith and Arabic heritage.
Those in South Africa, on the other hand, sport names that retain traditional meaning. Hence jazz great Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse’s first name means “Gift”, while Bafana Bafana striker Siyabonga Nomvete’s first name means “we thank you”.
Naming babies in West Africa is very important. Parents believe the choice of a name can influence the life of both the child and his family. In Nigeria’s Igbo community, most names have a symbolic meaning and are grammatically constructed to constitute a complex expression, besides most carrying religious references. Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozo Adichie’s first name translates to “my God will never fail,” while Chinedu means “God guides”.
Others reflect the immediate surrounding or circumstances in which a child was born. And so Togolese and Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor’s surname stands for “born in a time of happiness”. Others are named after days of the week. In Ghana, those who born on Fridays are named Kofi (Annan) while those born on a Sunday are named Kwame (Nkrumah).
Most parents prefer names that might have an influence in the way the child turns out. Meaning an over-ambitious name could have significant repercussions, whereas a simple tag might carry the burden of lofty expectations. They believe words have meaning, and names have power. full story......
The culture of a nation resides in the heart and soul of its people. But for the people of Madagascar, their culture goes beyond their hearts, hurts and hats to the way they construct their huts.
For an understanding of the soul of their culture, one has to begin with their rather long names. Sample some: Renomenjahary Sitrakinianiania Jean Zuetienne, Razanakoto Sendraviaka Pirisoa Fandeferana, Rafara Malala Fetra Nemenjanohary Yvette. And the winner; Rakotomampiononjaharx Romuladon Jean Patri.
How do they write them on their identity cards? Or national team jerseys?
Well, they shorten them. Sitrika, Miavaka, Nekena and Romulando from the above names respectively. Even the 12-letter Antananarivo, the capital city whose name means “the city of a thousand”, is truncated to “Tana.” But picture asking directions to a town called Antsohimbondrona? Or to the home of the resident with a tongue biting such as Randriana Goulam Aly Amine Florida Gildas?
Each Malagasy name of countless consonants and tongue-twisting, repeated sounds is a saying, revealing something or the other about birth order, state of the family at time of birth, hopes and desires for the person, and such.
Seriously speaking
The mouthful Razafindrandriasimaniry thus means “the grandson of the prince who envies nobody”.
Traditionally, only single names were used, unlike in other parts of the world where people have European names, surnames and family names written, and pronounced, separately.
This naming is part of the culture of the Malagasy, as the inhabitants of the island are called. And although gradually changing, it is still popular among the natives.
Women, in particular, acquire longer names when they get married. If, say, Sahondra Mukamalala Rakotomalala marries Andriatsiferanarivo, her new name becomes Sahondra Mukamalala Andriatsiferanarivo Rakotomalala.
In the country of “a thousand hills” (Rwanda), long names are also vogue, like Dukuzumuremyi, pronounced “Doo-koo-zoo-moo-rem-yee” — Rwandese for “praise be to God”. Another is Imanairere, a female name translating to “God help me to grow”, and Mukantagara (born in a time of war).
Most of the names reflect years of Belgian rule, and the first names are invariably Francophone. We are talking names such as Pacifique and Seraphine. The same can be discerned in the neigbouring Burundi, where Pierre Claver Rwingema and Pasteur Bizimungu are the names of the prime minister and president, respectively.
The Rwandese write their Kinyarwanda names in capital letters.
In Africa, a surname is a mark of one’s identity and evidence of one’s roots, with the last name adopted for the sustenance of one’s family lineage. But the Rwandese rarely use them, unless a family intentionally adopts it.
This trend presented problems during family reunification efforts in the wake of the 1994 genocide. Over two million people fled with their families, but, six years later, thousands of children were yet to be reunited with their families because their names offered no direction.
For humour, look no further than Zimbabwe and countries in southern Africa. It is not uncommon for people in the land of Comrade Bob to have names such as Enough, Energy, Genius, Smile, Gift, Justice, Brilliant, Trust, Knowledge, Honour, Wedding, Funeral, Passion, Clever, Everloving and Anywhere.
In southern Africa, parents name their children as a way of recording an event, circumstance or weather conditions at the time of birth.
If it’s windy or rainy when you pop out, then Wind or Rain will be your name! Parents who sire a baby after years of “trying” might name it Tendai, or ‘gratitude’. One born in times of trouble could be named Tambudzai, literary meaning “no rest”.
Reminders of colonisers
In most African countries, people’s names were reminders of their English, Portuguese, Dutch or French colonisers, a tradition that was reinforced by missionaries through imposition.
Gradually, traditional names were given their English equivalents. This explains the prevalence of names such as Givethanks Paradza, Happyton Bonyongwe and Norest Pongo. Have-a-Look Dube and Energy Murambandoro are well known Zimbabwean footballers for Njube Sundowns and Mpumalanga Football Clubs, respectively.
Again, this trend posed problems for the locals, as some Zimbabweans were saddled with “troubled” names. Take the editor of The Herald, Zimbabwe’s main government-controlled newspaper, for example. His family was in the middle of an internal feud when he was born. To mark that trying period, he told the New York Times in 2007, his parents named him... wait for this... Hatred! Hatred Zenenga.
A mother of 13 children — and who has had enough of the ritual — would typically name the last born Enough, while one who was so plagued by ailments that survival appeared dim became Godknows.The most humorous case to illustrate the ingenuity of the Southerners is the one of a father who joined Zimbabwe’s civil wars in the Congo. On coming back home, he was horrified to discover that his wife had given birth to a son while he was away and, to make his suspicions clear, named the son Never Trust A Woman!
Africans reverted to their traditional names to regain their lost heritage after independence, but they still retained the interesting mix of traditional, Western and Christian names.
Former DR Congo president Mobutu Sese Seko altered the private nature of names and naming when he changed his country’s name to Zaire in 1971.
Jail terms
That move, he said, was aimed at unveiling the official ideology of “authenticity”, and further decreed that all Zaireans must dispense with Christian and other Western names in favour of African tags.
Any priest found guilty of giving Zairean children Christian names during baptism faced a five-year jail term.
That’s how the Zairean soccer team to the 1974 (West) Germany World Cup managed to have this line-up: Mwepu Ilunga, Mantanta Kidumu, Uba Kembo Kembo, Etepe Kakoko, Mafu Kibonge and Kazadi Mwamba, among others.
Titles like Mr and Mrs were also dropped in favour of “Citizen”, and the president changed his name from Joseph Desire to Citizen Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Zabanga — or “The All-Conquering Warrior Who Will Go From Conquest To Conquest, Leaving Fire In His Wake”. A more succinct translation in the Tshiluba tongue means “The Invincible Warrior; The Cock Who Leaves No Chick Intact”.
Besides personal names, “The great Strategist” also changed names of rivers and towns. River Congo became River Zaire. The towns of Leopoldville, Elizabethville and Stanleyville became Kinshasa, Lumbumbashi and Kisangani respectively.
Building a national spirit also included abandoning Western fashion for printed cloth for women, and collarless, Mao-style tunics for men, which were worn without shirt or tie. They became Mobutu’s signature dress code, complete with a leopard skin hat and thick, black-framed glasses.
And while “The Great Saviour” ironically ordered the shunning of most things Western while selling his country to big French and American corporations, this wave of nationalism produced a period of extraordinary creativity in fashion and music that saw the emergence of Zaire as a continental music powerhouse via the Congolese Rhumba genre of Franco, Tabu Ley, Baba Gaston and Dr Niko Kasanda.
As Howard French notes in Anatomy of an Autocracy, Zaireans “endured 31 years of a stupid, vicious dictatorship while cooking up the best music and tastiest caterpillars on the continent”.
In 1997, General Laurent Kabila took over control of Zaire when Mobutu was forced into exile in Morocco, and reverted it to its old name, the Democratic Republic of Congo, its sixth overall change of name. Citizens could also reclaim their names if they wished, he decreed.
Spared balderdash
North Africans, however, were spared such balderdash as they carry names connoting their Muslim faith and Arabic heritage.
Those in South Africa, on the other hand, sport names that retain traditional meaning. Hence jazz great Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse’s first name means “Gift”, while Bafana Bafana striker Siyabonga Nomvete’s first name means “we thank you”.
Naming babies in West Africa is very important. Parents believe the choice of a name can influence the life of both the child and his family. In Nigeria’s Igbo community, most names have a symbolic meaning and are grammatically constructed to constitute a complex expression, besides most carrying religious references. Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozo Adichie’s first name translates to “my God will never fail,” while Chinedu means “God guides”.
Others reflect the immediate surrounding or circumstances in which a child was born. And so Togolese and Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor’s surname stands for “born in a time of happiness”. Others are named after days of the week. In Ghana, those who born on Fridays are named Kofi (Annan) while those born on a Sunday are named Kwame (Nkrumah).
Most parents prefer names that might have an influence in the way the child turns out. Meaning an over-ambitious name could have significant repercussions, whereas a simple tag might carry the burden of lofty expectations. They believe words have meaning, and names have power. full story......
September 29, 2010
Operations of the Credit union in NTT
Since the beginning of this year , I have been following up the Business trends in Flores, I realized there is a lot of potential Flores to be like other parts of Indonesia, Its endowed with Human capital and the Resources that are not tapped at all , Most people are have good education background compared to the developing economies, frankly speaking Indonesia is Moving towards the State of being an Economic power But the Big question will remain Why All parts of Indonesia are not growing at the Same Pace? There is a need to get out of our comfort Zone and take control of Our generation, then How can we do it without Money, This is important to understand that the Magnitude of Cooperatives in Championing the Will of the people cannot be Under estimated , Because Most of the time when people are asked why they are not opening up their own business they will say that they don’t have the money to do so then why don’t join the group with the same cause and aspiration and move the world in the most amazing ways , there are many reasons why cooperatives address the problems of the poor, if developed economies have taken a lid in the cooperative, why then do not joim the cause for the better future
Actually when you make deep compulsion between the banks and cooperatives, you will realize how cooperatives have a great deal to the growing community , What you have to know before you shop for a loan, The amount of your loan payment, including principal, interest and fees
The source of income and/or savings you have to make those payments
When you will actually get the loan money in your hands( will it be before you need, In the due comparison, The interest rate of saving is actually higher and the Interest on loans lower than a commercial bank
Cooperatives can play a significant role on economic development, especially in rural areas where absence of large spending power does not attractive private investment to harness local skills and resources that can uplift the local economy living standards besides exporting produce to distant customer locations in cities. Cooperatives of farmers enable consolidation of fragmented land, investment in mechanization and irrigation, better bargaining power to buy seeds and fertilizers cheaply, arrange for proper common storage and greater bargaining power in selling farm produce to traders as also make banks comfortable in providing agricultural credit, thereby improving the productivity of agriculture and improving the incomes of farmer members of the cooperatives. Cooperatives if fishing/ agric culture, animal husbandry and dairy, residential housing, and other economic activities can contribute similarly to economic development.
Development of rural communities has benefited greatly from the resurgence of interest
in the cooperative form of business. Well-planned business development is often
the throttle for vibrant community development. As user-owned organizations, cooperatives
have been used as a model for individual self-help and empowerment that
strengthens bonds leading to greater community awareness and involvement. They
have been created in response to the felt needs of agricultural producers and other
rural residents faced with rapidly changing forces that affect their livelihoods and wellbeing.
Cooperatives not only provide access to markets not otherwise reached, but
also provide member-owners with an opportunity to improve incomes and services.
The success of these voluntarily owned and controlled businesses helps build needed
Infrastructure that increases community vitality and ultimately benefits all members in
Why are we interested in cooperatives and their relationship to communities?—
Cooperatives are businesses that belong to the people who use them and follow three fundamental principles in their operations:
_ Each member has one vote in the decision-making process, regardless of financial investment.
_ The business is owned by those who use it.
_ Earnings are returned to members in proportion to how much they've used the cooperative.
These three principles exemplify the differences between cooperatives and investor-oriented corporations (IOFs). In IOFs, earnings are returned in proportion to investment and control of the organization is based on share ownership.
In Indonesia, 27.5% families representing approximately 80 million individuals are members of co-operatives. (Source: Ministry of Co-operative & SMEs, Indonesia,2004) where they provide jobs to 288,589 individuals. (Source: Ministry of Co-operative & SMEs, Indonesia, 2004) Cooperatives generate more than $100 billion in annual economic activity. They are represented in every sector of the economy, including agriculture, health, finance, utilities, housing, and retail. In short, cooperatives are a significant economic force in the Nation.
Cooperatives have a unique relationship to their community. Because they belong to the people who use them, they are firmly grounded in the region they serve. Decisions about services and operations are made at a local level, so cooperatives have little incentive to leave their communities. Like any other businesses, cooperatives pay taxes to the central government and contribute to local economic development
The positive impact of cooperatives on the local economy is strengthened by the fact that net earnings are returned to members, who usually reside in the local community. Finally, the cooperative structure requires and encourages an attitude of self-help and initiative, in a community context.
"When the idea of a cooperative comes in contact with felt needs and the readiness of people to act, it takes root, grows and flourishes. The association of people and enterprise forms a symbiotic relationship of mutual support… and the business prospers," according to the International Joint Project on Cooperative Democracy.
The five cooperatives profiled in this report were chosen to capture the some examples Cooperatives in NTT region have done: full story......
Actually when you make deep compulsion between the banks and cooperatives, you will realize how cooperatives have a great deal to the growing community , What you have to know before you shop for a loan, The amount of your loan payment, including principal, interest and fees
The source of income and/or savings you have to make those payments
When you will actually get the loan money in your hands( will it be before you need, In the due comparison, The interest rate of saving is actually higher and the Interest on loans lower than a commercial bank
Cooperatives can play a significant role on economic development, especially in rural areas where absence of large spending power does not attractive private investment to harness local skills and resources that can uplift the local economy living standards besides exporting produce to distant customer locations in cities. Cooperatives of farmers enable consolidation of fragmented land, investment in mechanization and irrigation, better bargaining power to buy seeds and fertilizers cheaply, arrange for proper common storage and greater bargaining power in selling farm produce to traders as also make banks comfortable in providing agricultural credit, thereby improving the productivity of agriculture and improving the incomes of farmer members of the cooperatives. Cooperatives if fishing/ agric culture, animal husbandry and dairy, residential housing, and other economic activities can contribute similarly to economic development.
Development of rural communities has benefited greatly from the resurgence of interest
in the cooperative form of business. Well-planned business development is often
the throttle for vibrant community development. As user-owned organizations, cooperatives
have been used as a model for individual self-help and empowerment that
strengthens bonds leading to greater community awareness and involvement. They
have been created in response to the felt needs of agricultural producers and other
rural residents faced with rapidly changing forces that affect their livelihoods and wellbeing.
Cooperatives not only provide access to markets not otherwise reached, but
also provide member-owners with an opportunity to improve incomes and services.
The success of these voluntarily owned and controlled businesses helps build needed
Infrastructure that increases community vitality and ultimately benefits all members in
Why are we interested in cooperatives and their relationship to communities?—
Cooperatives are businesses that belong to the people who use them and follow three fundamental principles in their operations:
_ Each member has one vote in the decision-making process, regardless of financial investment.
_ The business is owned by those who use it.
_ Earnings are returned to members in proportion to how much they've used the cooperative.
These three principles exemplify the differences between cooperatives and investor-oriented corporations (IOFs). In IOFs, earnings are returned in proportion to investment and control of the organization is based on share ownership.
In Indonesia, 27.5% families representing approximately 80 million individuals are members of co-operatives. (Source: Ministry of Co-operative & SMEs, Indonesia,2004) where they provide jobs to 288,589 individuals. (Source: Ministry of Co-operative & SMEs, Indonesia, 2004) Cooperatives generate more than $100 billion in annual economic activity. They are represented in every sector of the economy, including agriculture, health, finance, utilities, housing, and retail. In short, cooperatives are a significant economic force in the Nation.
Cooperatives have a unique relationship to their community. Because they belong to the people who use them, they are firmly grounded in the region they serve. Decisions about services and operations are made at a local level, so cooperatives have little incentive to leave their communities. Like any other businesses, cooperatives pay taxes to the central government and contribute to local economic development
The positive impact of cooperatives on the local economy is strengthened by the fact that net earnings are returned to members, who usually reside in the local community. Finally, the cooperative structure requires and encourages an attitude of self-help and initiative, in a community context.
"When the idea of a cooperative comes in contact with felt needs and the readiness of people to act, it takes root, grows and flourishes. The association of people and enterprise forms a symbiotic relationship of mutual support… and the business prospers," according to the International Joint Project on Cooperative Democracy.
The five cooperatives profiled in this report were chosen to capture the some examples Cooperatives in NTT region have done: full story......
September 27, 2010
BANKING INSTITUTION IN INDONESIA
Banks are special and therefore must run business based on prudential principles. The functions of banks in Indonesia are basically as financial intermediary that take deposits from surplus units and channel financing to deficit units. According to Indonesian banking law, Indonesian banking institutions are typically classified into commercial and rural banks. Commercial banks differ with rural banks in the sense that the latter do not involve directly in payment system and have restricted operational area. In term of operational definition, bank in Indonesia are classified into non-syariah and syariah-based principles commercial banks
Credit unions have the responsibility to their members to run daily operations in a responsible manner that protects member deposits and the integrity of the institution. Best practices in operational standards include adherence to generally accepted accounting principles, transparency in accounting and operations and implementation of internal control policies and procedures that protect the institution against employee and member risk. Financial management standards are critical to the operations of a credit union so that managers and directors can set a plan for the financial operations of an institution and monitor progress against that plan.
full story......August 3, 2010
Puskopdit Tekankan Kualitas Pelayanan
ENDE (FLORES POS) -- Gerakan koperasi kredit (Kopdit) di bawah naungan Pusat Koperasi Kredit Bekatigade Ende, Ngada, dan Nagekeo (Puskopdit BENN) menekankan pentingnya karyawan koperasi meningkatkan kualitas pelayanan dan kualitas komunikasi mereka kepada anggota.
Manajer Puskopdit BENN Mikhael Hongkoda Jawa dalam penutupan acara pelatihan calon karyawan dari koperasi kredit di bawah Puskopdit BENN, Kamis (30/7) mengatakan, karyawan koperasi kredit harus terus menerus meningkatkan kualitas diri, siap pakai, profesional sehingga mampu bersaing dengan lembaga keuangan lainnya.
“Kalau pelayanan kita berkualitas, maka kita bisa bersaing dengan lembaga keuangan lainnya. Kita hanya bisa bersaing dengan kualitas pelayanan jika dibandingkan lembaga keuangan lain yang maju dalam informasi dan tekonologi (IT),”
Pelatihan 31 calon karyawan ini yang berlangsung 60 hari adalah bagian dari program profesionalisasi manajemen koperasi kredit yang sudah dikembangkan sejak 2007.
Selama tahun ini sudah dua kali dilakukan pelatihan, pertama Februari-Maret dan angkatan kedua sejak 1 Juni hingga 30 Juli. Fasilitaor terdiri dari Mikhael H Jawa, Kristo Tere, Kosmas Lawa, dan Filomena Peti. Puskopdit BENN telah melatih sekitar 200 karyawan koperasi kredit dalam soal keuangan, skill komunikasi dan pelayanan, dan manajemen.
Namun dia mengingatkan meskipun bertumbuh sebagai lembaga keuangan, namun koperasi kredit tidak akan pernah melupakan sejarah dan filosofi dasar gerakan koperasi.
“Koperasi kredit sebagai organisasi bisnis akan tetap mempertahankan hubungan kita dengan para anggota lewat pelayanan, inovasi-inovasi produk, dan inovasi pelayanan. Sehingga pelatihan selama selama 60 hari merupakan satu proses persiapan untuk bekerja lebih efektif dan efisien,” kata Mikhael.
Pelatihan yang diselenggarakan Puskopdit, ujarnya, merupakan kesepakatan para manajer koperasi agar karyawan “tidak bekerja dalam kegelapan”.
Dia mengingatkan agar karyawan koperasi kredit tidak melupakan sejarah dan jasa-jasa para pendahulu mereka, karena jasa para pendahulu yang menyebabkan koperasi bertumbuh pesat seperti sekarang ini. Dia juga mengatakan, karyawan koperasi kredit perlu membangun moralitas kerja yang lebih baik dengan memperhatikan tiga pilar koperasi.
“Semakin kita belajar, semakin kita tidak tahu. Karena pendidikan dan pelatihan berlanjut akan terus dilakukan,” katanya.
Salah satu pilar koperasi, katanya, adalah kemandirian atau keswadayaan. “Biar kita punya aset cukup besar, tapi kalau sumber daya manusianya tidak mandiri, tidak siap, maka semua itu percuma”.
Salah satu aspek yang perlu diperhatikan adalah solidaritas. Solidaritas itu harus diwujudnyatakan dalam sikap bersedia membagi kemampuan dan ilmu pengetahuan kepada yang lainnya. “Apa yang kamu dapatkan dari pelatihan ini jangan digenggam, tapi ditularkan kepada yang lainnya”.
Dia bilang kaderisasi dan regenerasi tidak berjalan karena tidak adanya saling membagi pengetahuan dan pengalaman kepada yang lainnya. “Jadi solidaritas tidak saja soal uang, tapi juga membagi pengetahuan dan pengalaman”.
“Sampai di lapangan, jangan kancing ilmu pengetahuan. Semakin Anda membagi kepada orang lain, semakin Anda diperkaya. Sebaliknya semakin kita kikir, semakin kita kerdil”.
“Tunjukkan dirimu sebagai karyawan terbaik”.
Wakil Ketua Puskopdit BENN Andreas Reku yang menutup acara pelatihan dan pendidikan tersebut mengatakan, fokus Puskopdit BENN dalam kurun waktu 2008-2011 adalah profesionalisme. Bahkan pelatihan tidak cukup hanya 60 hari, bisa tiga bulan.
Dia mengajak para peserta pelatihan untuk memperhatikan nilai-nilai dan karakter kepribadian, sebab apa gunanya memiliki pengetahuan dan wawasan luas, namun watak dan tutur kata kurang bagus.
“Seseorang boleh punya titel muka belakang, tapi tidak ada gunanya kalau tidak ditunjang oleh karakter kepribadian yang baik. Orang boleh sederhana, tapi kalau dia punya karakter bagus, akan jauh lebih baik”.
Dia mengajak peserta untuk aktif ambil bagian dalam mengatasi kesulitan yang dialami para anggota. “Anda akan bertemu dengan orang dari berbagai latar belakang berbeda dan menemukan beragam kesulitan. Anda harus ambil bagian dalam memecahkan kesulitan mereka”.
Senada dengan Mikhael, dia mengajak para peserta membagikan pengetahuan kepada orang lain. Tidak baik bagi koperasi, katanya, jika hanya orang tertentu saja yang bisa mengerjakan pekerjaan tertentu. “Mau kerja ini, tunggu orang ini. Yang lain tidak bisa. Ini tidak bagus untuk kaderisasi”.
Dia berharap karyawan koperasi untuk berusaha mengembangkan dirinya, berprestasi, dan menggunakan kemampuan dan keterampilan yang dimilikinya.
Dua orang peserta Hans dan Merlyn memberikan kesan dan pesan dalam acara penutupan. Keduanya merasa senang mengikuti pelatihan dan berjanji akan mempraktikkannya di lapangan demi pengembangan koperasi.
full story......
Manajer Puskopdit BENN Mikhael Hongkoda Jawa dalam penutupan acara pelatihan calon karyawan dari koperasi kredit di bawah Puskopdit BENN, Kamis (30/7) mengatakan, karyawan koperasi kredit harus terus menerus meningkatkan kualitas diri, siap pakai, profesional sehingga mampu bersaing dengan lembaga keuangan lainnya.“Kalau pelayanan kita berkualitas, maka kita bisa bersaing dengan lembaga keuangan lainnya. Kita hanya bisa bersaing dengan kualitas pelayanan jika dibandingkan lembaga keuangan lain yang maju dalam informasi dan tekonologi (IT),”
Pelatihan 31 calon karyawan ini yang berlangsung 60 hari adalah bagian dari program profesionalisasi manajemen koperasi kredit yang sudah dikembangkan sejak 2007.
Selama tahun ini sudah dua kali dilakukan pelatihan, pertama Februari-Maret dan angkatan kedua sejak 1 Juni hingga 30 Juli. Fasilitaor terdiri dari Mikhael H Jawa, Kristo Tere, Kosmas Lawa, dan Filomena Peti. Puskopdit BENN telah melatih sekitar 200 karyawan koperasi kredit dalam soal keuangan, skill komunikasi dan pelayanan, dan manajemen.
Namun dia mengingatkan meskipun bertumbuh sebagai lembaga keuangan, namun koperasi kredit tidak akan pernah melupakan sejarah dan filosofi dasar gerakan koperasi.
“Koperasi kredit sebagai organisasi bisnis akan tetap mempertahankan hubungan kita dengan para anggota lewat pelayanan, inovasi-inovasi produk, dan inovasi pelayanan. Sehingga pelatihan selama selama 60 hari merupakan satu proses persiapan untuk bekerja lebih efektif dan efisien,” kata Mikhael.
Pelatihan yang diselenggarakan Puskopdit, ujarnya, merupakan kesepakatan para manajer koperasi agar karyawan “tidak bekerja dalam kegelapan”.
Dia mengingatkan agar karyawan koperasi kredit tidak melupakan sejarah dan jasa-jasa para pendahulu mereka, karena jasa para pendahulu yang menyebabkan koperasi bertumbuh pesat seperti sekarang ini. Dia juga mengatakan, karyawan koperasi kredit perlu membangun moralitas kerja yang lebih baik dengan memperhatikan tiga pilar koperasi.“Semakin kita belajar, semakin kita tidak tahu. Karena pendidikan dan pelatihan berlanjut akan terus dilakukan,” katanya.
Salah satu pilar koperasi, katanya, adalah kemandirian atau keswadayaan. “Biar kita punya aset cukup besar, tapi kalau sumber daya manusianya tidak mandiri, tidak siap, maka semua itu percuma”.
Salah satu aspek yang perlu diperhatikan adalah solidaritas. Solidaritas itu harus diwujudnyatakan dalam sikap bersedia membagi kemampuan dan ilmu pengetahuan kepada yang lainnya. “Apa yang kamu dapatkan dari pelatihan ini jangan digenggam, tapi ditularkan kepada yang lainnya”.
Dia bilang kaderisasi dan regenerasi tidak berjalan karena tidak adanya saling membagi pengetahuan dan pengalaman kepada yang lainnya. “Jadi solidaritas tidak saja soal uang, tapi juga membagi pengetahuan dan pengalaman”.
“Sampai di lapangan, jangan kancing ilmu pengetahuan. Semakin Anda membagi kepada orang lain, semakin Anda diperkaya. Sebaliknya semakin kita kikir, semakin kita kerdil”.
“Tunjukkan dirimu sebagai karyawan terbaik”.
Wakil Ketua Puskopdit BENN Andreas Reku yang menutup acara pelatihan dan pendidikan tersebut mengatakan, fokus Puskopdit BENN dalam kurun waktu 2008-2011 adalah profesionalisme. Bahkan pelatihan tidak cukup hanya 60 hari, bisa tiga bulan.
Dia mengajak para peserta pelatihan untuk memperhatikan nilai-nilai dan karakter kepribadian, sebab apa gunanya memiliki pengetahuan dan wawasan luas, namun watak dan tutur kata kurang bagus.
“Seseorang boleh punya titel muka belakang, tapi tidak ada gunanya kalau tidak ditunjang oleh karakter kepribadian yang baik. Orang boleh sederhana, tapi kalau dia punya karakter bagus, akan jauh lebih baik”.
Dia mengajak peserta untuk aktif ambil bagian dalam mengatasi kesulitan yang dialami para anggota. “Anda akan bertemu dengan orang dari berbagai latar belakang berbeda dan menemukan beragam kesulitan. Anda harus ambil bagian dalam memecahkan kesulitan mereka”.
Senada dengan Mikhael, dia mengajak para peserta membagikan pengetahuan kepada orang lain. Tidak baik bagi koperasi, katanya, jika hanya orang tertentu saja yang bisa mengerjakan pekerjaan tertentu. “Mau kerja ini, tunggu orang ini. Yang lain tidak bisa. Ini tidak bagus untuk kaderisasi”.
Dia berharap karyawan koperasi untuk berusaha mengembangkan dirinya, berprestasi, dan menggunakan kemampuan dan keterampilan yang dimilikinya.
Dua orang peserta Hans dan Merlyn memberikan kesan dan pesan dalam acara penutupan. Keduanya merasa senang mengikuti pelatihan dan berjanji akan mempraktikkannya di lapangan demi pengembangan koperasi.
full story......
Sunday Ruminations, Religion versus Mining Jobs
Oleh Jack Caldwell
On a Sunday, one may be forgiven for ruminating on the role of religion in mining. The story at this link prompts new ideas on the choice between a life of impecunious devotion and financial security come from a job on a mine; here are some extracts:
A Catholic priest known for his environmental activism has been accused of inciting a violent protest against a Canadian mining project in the state of Oaxaca that led to the deaths of a small-town mayor and a municipal official…… Father Garcia, whose parish serves the region surrounding the mine, has focused much of his ministry on environmental and human rights issues. He said he tackled the mine project because of concerns about a lack of water in the region and the possible contamination of water resources from mining byproducts even though mine operators promised to bring hundreds of jobs to a region rife with unemployment.
In Guatemala this week we have seen religion, spiritual and secular, succeed in closing the Marlin Mine. In the case of Marlin the religious folk claimed some locals had metals in the blood. They blamed it on the mine. Which is strange. I have seen the water resources for the people around the mine. The water
sources are not the mine. Instead most houses seem to get water that has flowed long distances in plastic pipes from springs and wells. Considering that a great deal of the country rock is volcanic, it is reasonable to ask: is it possible the water coming from the ground, having seeped through the same
volcanics that give rise to the ore body, is contaminated. It seems reasonable to ask: is there any correlation between blood metal levels and the upgradient source of the water the affected locals are drinking? This simple investigation never seemed to enter the head of those intent on attacking the
mine. Has anybody done a proper risk assessment involving source, route, and contact? The procedures are so elementary, that even Goldcorp should have had somebody do this by now.
Which takes me back to the fundamental question that seems to be at the heart of theoretical religion: is it better for the soul to be poor and starve to death to go to heaven, or to be rich–well maybe have at least enough money from mining jobs to be able to feed one’s family? Most American religions these days seem to have shaken off the idea of the religious virtues of poverty and the benefits to going to heaven dying of hunger. Rick Warren and his cohorts in Orange County have even managed to persuade half the population that God intends for us to be very comfortable and wear Ann Klein and Tommy Bahama to church and play. As long as you cough up your ten percent, the more the merrier. I wonder what would happen if Rick Warren and his church supplanted the Roman Catholic church in Mexico and Guatemala? Would we see more mining?
To return to the priest reportedly beaten in Oaxaca. If he is so worried about the lack of water, why not lobby to get the mining company to help find and develop water resources. Surely this would be more productive than opposing mining. And if he cannot persuade the mining company to provide water in a dry land, at least let some folk work on the mine and get enough to educate their kids so the educated may return to develop water resources. I know many who were educated from money earned on the mines who are now groundwater engineers and hydrologists. Poverty and ignorance will never increase a water supply; only an educated person or persons will. Thus we must wonder if this priest was not simply intent on keeping people poor and ignorant and in thrall to him and his church–is he guilty of the venial sin of pride in liking the devotion and admiration of the poor and uneducated. It was ever thus
with too many churches.
I may well owe the Oaxaca priest an apology. Maybe he is truly seeking only to counter the rule of wicked politicians. I am told that the local priest in the area of the Marlin mine was defrocked for pedophilia many years ago–but was strangely reinstated and is now in the thrall of the drug cartels. Maybe these cartels have chosen to shut the Marlin mine pending a takeover once Goldcorp is
back in Vancouver. Manipulation of a once-defrocked priest is small potatoes in search of getting your hands on a gold mine. Bet you the Marlin Mine, once shut will be “nationalized” or taken over by local strong men who will reopen operations—all in the interest of providing jobs of course.
full story......
On a Sunday, one may be forgiven for ruminating on the role of religion in mining. The story at this link prompts new ideas on the choice between a life of impecunious devotion and financial security come from a job on a mine; here are some extracts:
A Catholic priest known for his environmental activism has been accused of inciting a violent protest against a Canadian mining project in the state of Oaxaca that led to the deaths of a small-town mayor and a municipal official…… Father Garcia, whose parish serves the region surrounding the mine, has focused much of his ministry on environmental and human rights issues. He said he tackled the mine project because of concerns about a lack of water in the region and the possible contamination of water resources from mining byproducts even though mine operators promised to bring hundreds of jobs to a region rife with unemployment.
In Guatemala this week we have seen religion, spiritual and secular, succeed in closing the Marlin Mine. In the case of Marlin the religious folk claimed some locals had metals in the blood. They blamed it on the mine. Which is strange. I have seen the water resources for the people around the mine. The water
sources are not the mine. Instead most houses seem to get water that has flowed long distances in plastic pipes from springs and wells. Considering that a great deal of the country rock is volcanic, it is reasonable to ask: is it possible the water coming from the ground, having seeped through the same
volcanics that give rise to the ore body, is contaminated. It seems reasonable to ask: is there any correlation between blood metal levels and the upgradient source of the water the affected locals are drinking? This simple investigation never seemed to enter the head of those intent on attacking the
mine. Has anybody done a proper risk assessment involving source, route, and contact? The procedures are so elementary, that even Goldcorp should have had somebody do this by now.
Which takes me back to the fundamental question that seems to be at the heart of theoretical religion: is it better for the soul to be poor and starve to death to go to heaven, or to be rich–well maybe have at least enough money from mining jobs to be able to feed one’s family? Most American religions these days seem to have shaken off the idea of the religious virtues of poverty and the benefits to going to heaven dying of hunger. Rick Warren and his cohorts in Orange County have even managed to persuade half the population that God intends for us to be very comfortable and wear Ann Klein and Tommy Bahama to church and play. As long as you cough up your ten percent, the more the merrier. I wonder what would happen if Rick Warren and his church supplanted the Roman Catholic church in Mexico and Guatemala? Would we see more mining?
To return to the priest reportedly beaten in Oaxaca. If he is so worried about the lack of water, why not lobby to get the mining company to help find and develop water resources. Surely this would be more productive than opposing mining. And if he cannot persuade the mining company to provide water in a dry land, at least let some folk work on the mine and get enough to educate their kids so the educated may return to develop water resources. I know many who were educated from money earned on the mines who are now groundwater engineers and hydrologists. Poverty and ignorance will never increase a water supply; only an educated person or persons will. Thus we must wonder if this priest was not simply intent on keeping people poor and ignorant and in thrall to him and his church–is he guilty of the venial sin of pride in liking the devotion and admiration of the poor and uneducated. It was ever thus
with too many churches.
I may well owe the Oaxaca priest an apology. Maybe he is truly seeking only to counter the rule of wicked politicians. I am told that the local priest in the area of the Marlin mine was defrocked for pedophilia many years ago–but was strangely reinstated and is now in the thrall of the drug cartels. Maybe these cartels have chosen to shut the Marlin mine pending a takeover once Goldcorp is
back in Vancouver. Manipulation of a once-defrocked priest is small potatoes in search of getting your hands on a gold mine. Bet you the Marlin Mine, once shut will be “nationalized” or taken over by local strong men who will reopen operations—all in the interest of providing jobs of course.
full story......
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