Pinoy Entrepreneurs

MANILA, Philippines The interest rate on the benchmark 91-day Treasury bills (T-bills) went up slightly to 4.5 percent from 4.494 percent, yesterday, leading an uptick that treasury officials allowed across the board.

This developed as finance officials said they have decided to postpone the governments plan to issue retail Treasury bonds (RTBs).

Treasury officials made a full award on the 91-day T-bills amounting to P2 billion while partial awards were made on the 182-day and 364-day T-bills.

Tenders for the 91-day notes amounted to P4.61 billion, indicating a significant oversubscription and the auction committee awarded P2 billion with the rate going up 0.6 basis point.

The rate on the 182-day T-bills went up to 4.658 percent from 4.574 percent, going up 8.4 basis points. Tenders amounted to P3.7 billion and the committee made a partial award amounting to P1.38 billion.

Finally, the rate on the 364-day notes went up slightly to 4.794 percent from 4.789 percent with tenders reaching P6.5 billion. This was also partially awarded, amounting to P1.95 billion. a href=http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=482234publicationSubCategoryId=66 target=_blankMore/a…

Source: a href=http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=482234publicationSubCategoryId=66 target=_blankDes Ferriols/a

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras A military coup has divided Honduras between two leaders one recognized by world bodies and another backed by the countrys congress, courts and military.

There is a deep rift between the outside world which is clamoring for the return of democratically elected, but largely unpopular and soon-to-leave-office President Manuel Zelaya and congressionally designated successor Roberto Micheletti.

Zelaya was seized by soldiers and hustled aboard a plane to Costa Rica early Sunday, just hours before a rogue referendum Zelaya had called in defiance of the courts and Congress, and which his opponents said was an attempt to remain in power after his term ends Jan. 27.

The Honduran constitution limits presidents to a single four-year term, and Zelayas opponents feared he would use the referendum results to try to run again, just as Chavez reformed his countrys constitution to be able to seek re-election repeatedly.

Presidents from around Latin America were gathering in Nicaragua for meetings Monday on how to resolve the first coup in Central America in 16 years, while the European Union offered to help start talks between the two sides.

Once again, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took center stage, casting the dispute as a rebellion by the regions poor.

Source: a href=http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=482431publicationSubCategoryId=63 target=_blankPhilStar/a

MANILA, Philippines Is there an ongoing destabilization operation? Yesterday, a bomb was found at the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Quezon City, a day after the Office of the Ombudsman, also in Quezon City, was bombed.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap told reporters the DA incident might be part of a concerted effort to sow destabilization or confusion.

A suspicious package was also found outside a condominium across Ateneo de Manila University along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.

President Arroyo and her family had once occupied a penthouse suite at the condominium the One Burgundy Plaza. As of last night, police have not confirmed whether the package contained an explosive device.
Police suspect the DA and Katipunan incidents are related.

Witnesses told reporters the package was contained in a red belt bag that a security guard found outside One Burgundy Plaza at around 7 a.m.

The police blotter at Anonas police station showed the security guard had reported his find.

Witnesses said the package was found near an electric post between One Burgundy Plaza and Prince David condominium.

The package appeared to have been deliberately left on the sidewalk, witnesses said.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. brushed off rumors yesterday that Armed Forces chief Gen. Victor Ibrado would be ousted in a coup in October and replaced with Army commander Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit.

Source: a href=http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=482430publicationSubCategoryId=63 target=_blankPhilStar/a

The world was stunned at the news of the deaths of entertainers Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett last 25th of June, following on the heels of Ed McMahon earlier in the week. Malware writers and spammers take advantage of big news stories such as these to distribute malicious downloads of spyware, adware and potential viruses.

One of the newer trends is that of redirecting valid links in search results. Cybercrooks have been using this technique recently for installing rogue antivirus software. In the case of celebrity news, you will most likely be taken to a site that offers links to more news or photos. Once you click on the link, your PC is susceptible to attack. More…

Source: MyWOT

Photo Credits: Franklin

A perennial challenge facing human resource professionals is keeping employees motivated at work. What drives someone to put in 100 per cent of their energy at work? What makes an employee consider a company a great employer?

Ask any leader and they will tell you that there is no simple answer. However, there is an appreciation to stop the second guessing and create a clear solution to keep employees motivated and inspired.

Perhaps, there are many interesting insights HR practitioners can gain from the rapid proliferation of social networking sites and other similar platforms in the Web 2.0 space. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and individual blog sites have given a new voice to the individual. These platforms allow individual voices to be expressed, to be heard – Who am I? What do I like? What are my aspirations? What are my fears?

Just as any company developing their sales and marketing campaign has to consider complementing their traditional media buys with an online strategy, of having to move away from media monopolies to the fragmented internet landscape of individual voices, HR professionals would similarly have to get up to speed with the new profile of employees which is centered on the notion of ‘I’.

Employees will increasingly not be a faceless member of a team but one that demands recognition of his individual needs. They are individuals within a team as opposed to simply being a part of a team. Hence, a company that offers a ‘one size fits all’ approach, be it in job scoping, remuneration, benefits or career advancement opportunities will not address the issue of employee motivation adequately. The company has to offer employees choice for the individual as opposed to making decisions on behalf of the collective whole.

Incorporating the ‘I’
The idea of tailoring HR policies and even work-life practices around individuals may be considered a far stretch for many organisations. Companies will tend to presume that it is too expensive, too complex or not in their role to adapt motivation and retention tools to individual needs.

However, working in an element of flexibility into HR policies so that the employees’ function, age, gender and other unique factors in their and their family’s lives are considered need not be a monumental task. It does not require a full revamp of the company’s benefits system or a change in organizational structure. Companies simply have to give due consideration into evolving their HR practices such as work life policies or compensation so that employee have a say and are engaged in the decision that impacts themselves… More