PREGUNTAVER

With so many "Great Minds" running around and proclaiming "Expert Opinions", it is unavoidable for the public to get confused. A good example is the Global Competitiveness Index, with the Philippines, as a case in point. Despite the recent climb of its currency (Peso), the increasing Forex reserves of its Central Bank and the successful restructuring of its foreign debts, the Philippines went down to #126 (from 121) in the 2006 annual global competitiveness rank, according to a study conducted by the World Bank. In contrast, two similar studies (released earlier) showed gains. Reports published by the World Competitiveness Center (WCC) and the World Economic Forum(WEF) both showed upgrades by a few steps. WCC reported the Philippines to have climbed from from #51 to #49, while WEF's study showed an ascend from #73 to #71. The contrasting reports, therefore leads to a number of questions, including: - Which study is the most reliable?; and, - How are the Gl...

This should be a very good piece of info for import dependent economies. Oil prices are down by US$17/ barrel. Of course, Oil exporting countries are not very happy with this news. However, prices have been steadily rising, the past several months and most of the world has been praying for its halt, at the very least. Just a couple of years ago, the price of Crude Oil was about half of the current level. Where is the price of Crude Oil headed? Some predict some increases in the short term but what really scares me is the calculation that the real value of Oil is about thrice its worth today. What do you think?

Excerpts from an article written by Ed Morato, one of the most respected professors at the Asian Institute of Management: "The Global Entrepreneurship Monitoring (GEM) Report (2001) cited a strong correlation between entrepreneurial activity and economic growth as revealed by their studies on 29 countries. For the Philippines, this was validated by the writer's time series analysis (1970-2001) showing the correlation between the establishment of new enterprises and gross domestic product (GDP). From the 21-year data base, the researcher discerned a revealing pattern. The dramatic growth in new enterprises coincided with periods of high political and social stability (i.e. the first seven years of martial law, the first three years of President Cory Aquino's government and the entire six years of President Fidel Ramos). The abrupt entrepreneurship falls coincided with periods of high political and social instability (i.e. the waning years of President Ferdinand Marcos when...

Today, John Maxwell writes: Leadership is Influence "I couldn't have said it any better. You don't need a title to be a leader in life. And the simple fact of having a title won't make you a leader. "I've found that everyone has the opportunity to lead, every day. It doesn't matter what your position is, or how long you've worked at your job, whether you help to run your family, a PTA committee, or a Fortune 1000 company. Anyone at any level can learn to be a leader and help to shape or influence the world around them. "Do you shape your life and career? "Do you inspire or influence others? "Do you work to achieve specific goals by working with or coordinating the efforts of others? "If you answered "yes" to any of these questions whether you realize it or not, you are a leader. "Leadership expert John Maxwell describes leadership as positive influence. That is the most simple and elegant definition of leadersh...

The road was a bit slippery, last Sunday morning, and I saw a motorcycle cop, sans a crash helmet, leisurely driving his bike on a highway. Please take note of the salient words of my previous sentence. It was a SUNDAY, on a HIGHWAY (speedway), the road was SLIPPERY and he WAS NOT WEARING A CRASH HELMET. In addition, the cop swerved his bike from the leftmost lane towards the opposite side, as if he was the only soul in that part of the planet. To add a few more observations, his upper garment looked like a sweater, embroidered with the name of his unit. I wonder if it was an official Police officer’s uniform. In relation to my discourse for today, let me start by saying that ordinary citizen’s pay taxes through direct means, like income taxes, and indirect methods, through the purchase of cigarettes and other taxed commodities. The income tax is quite easy to figure out but what about the purchase of cigarettes? Well, cigarettes are heavily taxed and whenever consumers buy i...