My sisters and I ate lunch at our favourite Japanese restaurant. When we got the bill, I presented my credit card and mentioned to the server we like to avail of the 50% discount the card-issuing-bank and the restaurant were advertising. “Sorry, sir, but you do not qualify for the discount,” the server replied. “OnlyContinue reading “Beware the Fine Print”
Author Archives: Ellery
A Reason to be Grateful
A 77-year-old family friend was angry with God. He was born with only one (1) kidney, has congenital heart disease, and was hospitalised due to trouble breathing. He was angry at God for the sufferings his illnesses caused. We told our friend: “Should you not be grateful that you have lived 77 years despite yourContinue reading “A Reason to be Grateful”
No Such Thing as an Undignified Job
A well-dressed middle-aged Filipino man sat at the compartment of the train heading for Paris. A passenger, an American woman, sitting across, asked what he did for a living. Man: “I clean people’s houses.” Woman: “You’re a maid?” Man: “Yes.” Woman: “Why are you on this train?” Man: “I’m on vacation. I’m meeting my wifeContinue reading “No Such Thing as an Undignified Job”
Demand Fulfilment Means Keeping One’s Promises
The airport lounge no longer granted access via my platinum credit card. The credit card’s fine print did warn that perks may be withdrawn without notice. The bank dangled the lounge perk on top of other benefits. I took it and the bank succeeded in selling me the card. But I’m unhappy because I noContinue reading “Demand Fulfilment Means Keeping One’s Promises”
Knowing Your Inventory ABC’s
A business owner asked me: how can I manage my company’s inventories more efficiently? The business owner imported soap, luggage, and cell phones, in short: assorted merchandise. He shipped in and kept hundreds of items in inventory, in which he had trouble keeping track. Sometimes he had too many items in storage or had tooContinue reading “Knowing Your Inventory ABC’s”
Problems vs. Situations
Problems have solutions. Situations are simply things we need to live with, Seth Godin writes. He goes on to say: “Once we realize that a problem we have isn’t a problem at all, but actually a situation, it’s easier to do our best to move on and thrive. Focusing on a situation is usually aContinue reading “Problems vs. Situations”
Productivity: They Still Don’t Get It
Leading global consultancy McKinsey defines productivity as Gross Value Added (GVA) per work-person and reports that the world needs productivity growth on top of balance sheet profitability. McKinsey still doesn’t get it. The world doesn’t need labour productivity, it needs supply chain productivity, which is how fast and how much organisations sell merchandise and collectContinue reading “Productivity: They Still Don’t Get It”
The Marimba Player
“Maybe you should try the marimba.” It was a statement, not a question. My music teacher was exasperated with my piano lessons. The teacher believed the piano was not for me. The marimba, which is unfairly labelled as an oversized xylophone, utilises only one scale versus the piano’s two, which made it easier to teach.Continue reading “The Marimba Player”
The Good Problem
The repairman sighed. No one called; there was nothing to do. The ad said it best: we make dependable appliances. That meant that the repairmen, even though employed and salaried, had no jobs pending. They were there just in case, nothing else. It was a lonely life, and the repairmen complained about the loneliness. ForContinue reading “The Good Problem”
The Need to Change the Supply Chain
When a parcel arrives at my doorstep, I see myself at the end of a supply chain process—a process which involved multiple operations from procurement, manufacturing, to logistics. But I could care less. What mattered is I got my parcel and the items I ordered. The individuals in the respective supply chain processes which enabledContinue reading “The Need to Change the Supply Chain”
Ellery's Essays 