Maxis teams with Astro on content, access Maxis and local media entertainment group Astro have joined forces to develop and co-market selected products and services for consumers and households in Malaysia, a move which could help them expand quickly into their respective markets. The pair signed an agreement yesterday, under which they will develop and co-market unique consumer packages combining Astro B.yond IPTV and Astro On-The-Go services, together with Maxis’ fiber internet, mobile internet, wireless internet and ADSL services. Under the tie-up, Maxis will be the value-added fiber broadband service provider for Astro, which in return will be the IPTV provider for the Malaysian integrated communications service provider’s fixed and wireless platforms. The companies said they are in the midst of developing the packages, targeted to be launched in phases. As of June 30, Maxis Home had a total of over 57,000 customers, including 9,352 Home Fibre Internet and over 27,000 Home Wireless Internet subscribers,
Lessons from Sheryl Sandberg: Stop Working More Than 40 Hours a Week There's been a flurry of recent coverage praising Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, for leaving the office every day at 5:30 p.m. to be with her kids. Apparently she's been doing this for years, but only recently "came out of the closet," as it were. What's insane is that Sandberg felt the need to hide the fact, since there's a century of research establishing the undeniable fact that working more than 40 hours per week actually decreases productivity. In the early 1900s, Ford Motor ran dozens of tests to discover the optimum work hours for worker productivity. Anyone who's spent time in a corporate environment knows that what was true of factory workers a hundred years ago is true of office workers today. The workaholics (and their profoundly misguided management) may think they're accomplishing more than the less fanatical worker, but in every case that I've personally observed, the long hours result in work that must be scrapped or redone. Accounting for Burnout
The shift to a multi-channel model Joseph Waring | August 22, 2012 Telecom Asia Consumers are cutting companies out of the dialog until the last minute when making purchase decisions and seeking support. Nicola Millard, customer experience futurologist at BT Global Services, says that the operator is often the last stop when people are looking for information on products and services or even help on inquiries. Customers also are demanding self-service support, which they find faster than calling. But this trend isn't proving to be the cost saver telcos were expecting. Some 54% of consumers prefer self-service since it puts them in control and no one tries to sell them anything, according to a joint BT-Avaya study on how consumer attitudes to dealing with organizations are changing. However, Dr Millard notes there is a danger in assuming that because of the increased interest in self-service that customers will no longer call. They are looking for much more detailed information than before.
The Way of The Productivityist: A Manifesto I coined the term “productivityist” because I believe there’s a need for it. There’s too many so-called experts in this realm and not many actual ones. I’m certainly not one. But I’m most certainly a productivityist. Yes, I've talked about it before...but it bears repeating: A productivityist is not a productivity expert. They study productivity, be it the tools or habits. It’s because of this that many productivityists end up spending more time “doing” productive rather than “being” productive for a while. I call it The Way of The Productivityist and whether you’re a productivityist or not, there’s some real gold to be mined from it.1 1. Night owls can be just as productive as early risers. 2. There will always be urgency in our lives. 3. Doing for the sake of doing isn’t the goal. 4. This falls in line with the whole doing vs. being concept. 5. You can’t do everything. 6. Basically this boils down to planning. 7. Don’t underestimate its power. 8. 9. 10. I'm not perfect.
Operators require agile IT systems Martin Redington/Microgen | August 29, 2012 Telecoms companies are facing an increasingly complex and challenging operating environment. To be able to retain market share effectively, network operators need to build an ecosystem of new services that includes music downloads, app stores and streamed movies to attract new users and create brand loyalty. Network operators’ IT departments must be able to build new business applications and services quickly. For some operators, one option may be to create new monetized services in collaboration with other OTT applications and content providers to produce paid-for services. All too often when looking to capitalize on new opportunities or expand their business portfolio, organizations build new applications in isolation from their existing and new systems as it is perceived to be faster. Streamlining processes can often be a challenge when working with a number of legacy systems.
Nurturing Talent – A True Leadership Skill | | dhcdhc Above all, leaders need good people to surround them. No organisation – large or small – can operate productively when the boss is doing all the doing and they are surrounded by people who cannot deliver the highest quality performance themselves. So it’s imperative to ensure that any team has members that deliver the very best results as individuals, as well as contributing to team outputs overall too. Whilst having a whole range of leadership skills are important, one of the most productive is to be able to ensure that there is a constant pipeline of capable people in your team. At local level, team leaders can have even more vital impact on those they can influence to become dynamic and useful members of their team. As leader, the role is to create the best environment for talent to flourish and this really requires good leadership to set the scene for such opportunities to be found and utilised, for the benefit of all.
Earning money from OTT As featured on TM Forum's the Insider blog Quite often, The Insider is sent reports from analysts, survey firms, vendors and even other industry bodies. Very often, these are sponsored by one of the above, either hoping to sell detailed analysis reports or show their own products and services in a glowing light. Now, that’s not to say some of these reports are not top notch or unbiased, but you do sometimes have to look hard to find one. The topic is very well researched with 35 operators listed (many other were not) and 68 markets covered. Yes, you read right, OTT players are acting like walled gardens, and you know how successful that was for the CSPs! Skype and Whatsapp are singled out as the leaders in the OTT voice and messaging spaces, but their growth is somewhat linked to smartphone penetration. The report does offer a list of options for mobile operators to succeed in making 'moola' from the OTT sphere, if they so desire. Who said the humble phone number was doomed?
Telltale Signs of an Unhealthy Hierarchy - Ron Ashkenas by Ron Ashkenas | 12:10 PM April 17, 2012 We may talk about eliminating hierarchy, but most organizations still have one. Frankly, it’s very hard to mobilize limited resources and diverse skills without someone taking charge. That’s why hierarchies have existed for thousands of years — from the days of the Pharaohs to the modern corporation. Yet there’s no doubt that hierarchies can be dysfunctional and make it difficult to get things done. You would think the key to a healthy hierarchy is a well-drawn organization chart, but it has more to do with company culture and behaviors. But how do you know when those behaviors are off track? Hierarchical Mirroring: This is the subtle notion that meaningful discussions only occur between people of equal rank across the organization, like a diplomatic negotiation. Decision Churn: This occurs when decisions continually need to be revisited because someone of sufficient rank in another part of the hierarchy raises an objection.
Sequoia's Jim Goetz On Enterprise Startups Are We Accomplices to Passive Aggressive Team Members?? Leaders, unchecked passive aggressive behavior in the workplace impacts the dynamics and potential success of teams. Those affected feel used, manipulated, and disrespected. Passive aggressive is less direct not less aggressive. It is just as hostile as straight out aggression and can obstruct both morale and results. It can disengage employees from each other IF we allow it. Leaders, Are You an Accomplice To Passive Aggressive Team Members Image by:korafotomorgana The Pattern Spot the pattern of passive aggressive behavior in order to eliminate its ruinous effect on your team’s success. Passive aggressive team members will: Interrupt another team member who is speaking to us with a quick “sorry” yet no real acknowledgment of the other person’s presence. The Impact Mistrust, anger, resentment, and disengagement are the most damaging impacts of passive aggressive behavior on the organization and its results. The Solution Check our own behavior. ©2012 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc.