Do employers view the online Master of Business Administration as any less an advanced degree than full-time institutional MBAs? Feedback from employers is online students are impressive insofar as they maintain current business knowledge and implement contemporary practices in the workplace whilst they undertake their MBA studies – so the answer is no.

The method of study matters little as compared to the quality of the program, online MBA programs utilise the same content as institutional MBAs. What students miss out on is the face-to-face networking opportunities and the ability to engage in face-to-face teamwork whilst undertaking case studies possibly limiting verbal communication skills.

However, this is balanced by the tendency by companies engaging virtual teams due to the increased utilisation of technology in the workplace; this is mirrored in the online MBA delivery embracing technology. Online students actively engaged in the workplace hold high levels of commercial awareness intimately understanding actual workplace challenges and issues.

Major universities and business schools have all embraced technology as a means to deliver effective tertiary education. Workplace experience counts, previously MBA candidates have about three years work experience with executive MBAs holding ten years or more experience in senior leadership positions. The average age and experience of online MBA students is higher resulting in richer learning experiences for all students to take into account. An online MBA lacks networking opportunities but is a cost effective method to gain a business education.

Kicking around Changi Airport in Singapore between flights, I always love to check out the business books section of Terminal 3. A publication that took my interest was Strategy in Practice by George Tovstiga.

The Singaporeans are a pretty business minded bunch; Singapore has been the economic miracle of South East Asia for some time now so a strategy book is going to be a popular read in Singapore. The study of business strategy along with associated textbooks is somewhat similar in nature. We all pretty much study the same theory no matter what institution you are enrolled. It could be argued the difference between the top flight business schools is not learning materials but relationships formed through peer to peer interactions.

We will all spend our evenings going over SWOT analysis, Porter’s five forces, Porter’s generic strategies, value chain analysis, competitive advantage, the resource based view of the firm, VRIO analysis and core competence. Whilst not a text book per se, George Tovstiga views strategy from a different perspective than that of standard reference texts. Strategy is not new, the ancient Greeks coined the term and applied such processes in their military campaigns and this book offers perspectives not covered in standard texts.

The author is a professor of strategy and innovation management instructing advanced level courses for MBA programs at the Henley Business School at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. I not only referenced this text during courses, I found it to be a pretty handy reference citing passages a number of times and I reckon pretty easy to read. Well worth looking at if you want something different from a standard text book.

Getting out and about on a warm winter day in Perth, you get these days where the sky is clear, there is little to no wind and the temperature is 23 C. This was one of these winter days so I wasn’t going to waste it.

So, I decided to drive up the coast from Scarborough Beach, driving up the hill along West Coast Highway allows some pretty decent ocean views. Then we need to cut inland for a section losing the view before heading West Coast Drive towards Hillarys Boat Harbour. The Breakwater Tavern is located right on the water, suspended on piles above the water in the boat harbour, this is an excellent bar above the water. I don’t mind a drink and a meal in the afternoon, I like to go here when the sun is shining and I never go there at night.

There are generally two camps within watch collecting circles, the Rolex camp and the Omega camp. I sit within the Omega camp but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect the Rolex product, I just prefer Omega over Rolex.

This also comes down to personal finances, I am the owner of three Omega timepieces; however, one of those was given to me. So, really I purchased two Omega timepieces and I made sure I did so at the low point of Swiss watch sales. I purchased a Seamaster and a Speedmaster from the same duty free shop at Perth International Airport. What I didn’t know then was that they were getting out of luxury watch sales, the watch shop is no longer operational so they were selling off inventory in anticipation of closing.

I did not know this, I would like to take credit for some pretty decent negotiating but this would be a stretch. So now I am in possession of a Seamaster Diver 300 reference 212.30.41.29.03.001 and a Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch reference 311.30.42.30.01.005 and I couldn’t be happier. I have two iconic Omega timepieces for the price of a single Rolex and I am pretty happy with that. Whilst it is argued Rolex retains resale value, that is correct, I am not looking to sell either timepiece so for me is is not a purchase strategy – I just like these two iconic timepieces.

At university we studied Noam Chomsky, he is an American social commentator who places an emphasis media concentration from a left-wing media viewpoint. His best known work is Manufacturing Consent, a critical view of media concentration in the United States and well worth reading. Taking a similar view to Chomsky, I view the blatant disregard for public sector standards in regards to selection and recruitment as manufacturing consent. That is manufacturing consent for dodgy selection practices equal to workplace cronyism.

When you promote people into jobs without established processes, you are basically endorsing their status within the confines of a department or business unit. This is a case of accepting corrupt selection practices whilst manufacturing consent for public sector abuses. Whilst Chomsky writes about right-wing media concentration, I ask, what is the difference between left-wing public service jobs allocation for pre-selected mates and acquaintances? Are they both not manufacturing consent, albeit in differing circumstances?

I am a huge believer in merit selection, the best candidate is awarded the position free from nepotism, cronyism, personal influences and favouritism. I believe applications should be lodged without a name, an anonymous code or prefix is generated with physical interviews held anonymously via electronic means. These requirements would heavily restrict departmental influence, then and only then would the best person be hired for the job and while I am sure there are some that would try to influence decisions this would greatly limit their abilities to make dodgy appointments.

Government agencies should require all selection and recruitment process be undertaken by independent recruitment agents contracted to government departments. Whilst the head of department should be on the selection panel, the chair should be independent so no interference is registered. Furthermore, with a clause inserted in the contract that results in breach of contract including both termination of contract and financial costs, there would be a heavy disincentive to collude in candidate selection. Maybe one day we can rid the public sector of the corrupt practices that hinder public services.

It’s been a long time since I have flown Cathay Pacific, it was a pleasant experience and I hope to fly with them again in the future.

I flew Perth to Hong Kong, a short stopover and then onto Cebu just before Christmas for a week returning on Christmas eve. Despite all the problems occurring in Hong Kong at the moment, there was no disruptions. The return flight was good but the connections were less so, I had an 20:05 flight from Cebu arriving at 22:58. The question was then, do I get a hotel for the night or sleep at the airport? Being a cheap bastard, the airport sleepover was the option for me.

The last thing I need is stamps in my passport so while I was interested in catching the train into Kowloon to look around for the morning as my 15:05 flight offered me plenty of time, the potential disruptions with protesters and missing my flight just wasn’t worth it. For me, that’s a real shame as these hub destinations give me the opportunity for a look around. I have been to Hong Kong before but there is so much I haven’t seen. I guess this will be another trip as I hope to be flying Cathay Pacific in the future.

You don’t get to stay on Sipadan Island anymore, these days diving is conducted by fast boat from Mabul and Kapoli even though  I have dived Sipadan for a number of years, while this is a shame – it was an absolutely necessary decision.

The landing jetty is located in shallow water, the end of the jetty ends on the edge of deep water, a diver can step off the end of the jetty into 660 metres of water. Although, I have never seen anyone step off the jetty for a dive.

Palau Sipadan, the legendary dive site was rated in Jacques Cousteau’s top ten dive sites of the world. This magnificent island is well managed by the Malaysian government allowing a biodiversity unrivaled in the region.

Hanging out on Sipadan Island between dives, is reasonably fun, you don’t goo too far away. After a bite to eat and a drink, a swim is a pretty good activity in the shallow waters surrounding the island – a short swim to the edge to look over the drop-off.

Lazing on the beach between dives, this would have to be one of the best surface intervals I have had. Spending ten days up in Sabah, we resided at Kapoli taking fast boats to Sipadan Island, my favourite was the early morning dives.

I chose the early morning dive heading out in the dark to hit the water just as the sun was rising to search for hammerhead sharks. Returning to Kapoli for breakfast, a further two dives around the island before the final dives around Kapoli.

In what may be considered a tightening trend, Starbucks Coffee in the Philippines now only offers a timed WiFi connection on receipt of a purchase. Around the rest of the world, Starbucks offers free WiFi connections, the Philippines only allows a WiFi connection after a purchase, one less reason for me to like Starbucks.

The WiFi connection times out after an hour and requires a code to be sent to your phone. For myself, I was only carrying an iPad and not a mobile phone. I wasn’t able to connect without the code. Fortunately a staff member happened to be asking about my I store experience and used his personal mobile phone to connect me to the store WiFi. That’s pretty decent personal service for a coffee retailer not known for their service.

This really made me annoyed when I heard millennials mocking the deaths of people during the coronavirus pandemic. Finding joy in the misery and death of others is sick, even for a self-absorbed generation only interested in self-promotion on the latest social media platforms.

These retarded pieces of shit are clueless, this is why we need to invest more in the education system and less on Twitter and social media platforms. Ok, so the boomer generation is the result of the baby boom from the end of World War II. The European war ended in May 1945 and the Pacific war in September of the same year. Right, so military personnel needed to be repatriated back to their countries so it is fair to say the baby boom generation begins in 1946.

The boomer generation ended in 1964 so if we pull a calculator out, 2020 – 1946 = 74 for the oldest boomers and 2020 – 1964 = 56 for the youngest boomers. So, looking at the numbers, the generation most affected by Covid-19 is the generation preceding the Baby Boomer generation, known as the Silent Generation [sometimes referred to as the greatest generation] who lived through a depression and world war.

Pull your heads in you mindless losers, the generation at greatest risk is the greatest generation and we have an obligation to do what it takes to ensure their safety. You money grabbing bottom dwellers have one eye on their wealth earned over a lifetime with the sole intention of getting your filthy hands on their housing and retirement accounts – morons.