Expectation Management

Expectation Management

They say you cannot guess someone's life stage by their age.If our working lives will most probably be enabled by technology and though not driven by it, we may be doing different things at different stages of our lives,unlike today. 

Looking back on our current lives,re-running the movies of our past life, will no doubt remind us of the successes as well as and more importantly remind us of the lessons we have learned from our mistakes. 

We will also note a pattern of behaviour that will help us move forward into the future in a more healthy and satisfying way. Our growing strength and positive self esteem will often ensure that the mistakes we have made in the past will not be repeated again.

Projecting expectation management of the stages of life in the future, from birth to death, from education to jobs to retirement, will become blurred,less rigid or even cease and a new life structure could be anticipated.

But what can we expect of the future?

"By being you means - we can be us" says an ad in the papers, highlighting colour consciousness, implying difference. One thing we can expect in the future is to work with difference, understanding the realities of culture,race and religion and accepting the humanity of man.Diversity is a tolerable asset and not a liability.

Despite the promise that technology offers,we seem to be working harder now, perhaps not smarter. Productivity is slowing,engagement levels are languishing and stress is endemic.The "Always On" work ethic that technology supports, has empowered sections of the workforce,at the expense of dis-empowering and de-skilling others. This is becoming evident with progress.

Working remotely, flexibly and under different and varied contractual arrangements,is seen in the workplace. Firms now analyse job applicants on their strengths rather than having the ability.They analyse job seekers who are "great" at their job in different circumstances, to ascertain what strengths,values and motivators they have in common,and build what is called a "Strengths Profile."Hiring an applicant based on strengths of others does not allow for diversity,irrespective of age,gender,disability or education.

We may illustrate and  forecast  some future developments over the next few decades.

By 2020

We already have prototypes of "driver less cars." Intelligent car transport that drives and parks itself and communicates with other vehicles, is expected by 2020.It will reduce emission,fuel consumption,and in some way eliminate human error, with a reduction in road deaths. 

By 2030

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will create robots,called "Cabots" or Collaborative Machines.This will reduce,in fact shrink, the number of graduate positions and specialists required not only on the factory floor, but across finance,marketing and customer service. We have not realised how immediate this is, but expectation is that there will be a reduction,at least by some 20 percent of the workforce.

By 2035  

The imponderable aspect in technology is that it cannot replicate professional qualities such as empathy and communication. These human qualities will become highly valued among employees, as robots will perform mostly administrative functions.

By 2045 

People will have stopped handing over personal information and Big Data may become obsolete.This will make people data less of a target for hackers.Social Networks may have to work differently or not exist.

By 2050

Climate change may alter where we are able to live and work. World's population is estimated to hit 9 billion.

Living beyond 100 will become unremarkable as human life expectancy could read 120 years. New Medicines,Genetic Engineering,Scientific Knowledge will improve and make personal lives unrecognisable to today. 

Rip Off Contracts

Rip off Contracts

Political donations and contracts go hand in hand. Companies request and obtain authority to make political donations from their shareholders which is often notice and agenda of annual general meetings. of public companies,particularly corporations and most often gets sanction at these meetings.

Political donations can also be kickbacks which conglomerates/companies the world over hand out to secure valuable contracts from industry/governments.It is a way of competing in a highly competitive international market for lucrative contract business.

Undercutting on contracts is big business There are many and unknown ways and various forms of corruption,extortion,nepotism,patronage influence peddling,graft among others...Off loading commissions also is a specialised business,with positions reserved to the "high and mighty" in both governments and industry. Corruption is illegal depending on the country or jurisdiction.and its definition dicey. .

Will anyone give a political donation without an expectation in return?

SMEC Holdings Ltd,,formerly  Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation, is a Melbourne based firm that provides consultation services on major infrastructure projects around the world .It undertakes feasibility studies,design,tender, contract information.and project management. Originally it was wholly owned Australian government engineering consultancy and bought by staff. On 1 August 2016 Singapore based Surbana Jurong announced it had acquired this Corporation.

Another Australian company,Perth Sundance Resources and SMEC Holdings are under investigation over alleged bribery scandals liked to two Presidents in two distant lands,possibly of different charges.

President of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso  by Perth Sundance Resources and President of Sri Lanka Maitripala Sirisena by the former SMEC. These firms are alleged to have sought to secure multi-million dollar contracts in these countries and are each separately investigated..

Why after Seven Years?

Some seven years after the award of a World Bank dam project in Sri Lanka SMEC is investigated over claims its staff sought approval to pay kickbacks to foreign officials including a donation,(political donation,who knows?) to the party of Sri Lanka President Maitripala Sirisena,when he was a Mahinda Rajapaksa Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Services Development in 2009.

These revelations place pressure on the Turnbull Government in Australia to reform Australia's maligned foreign bribery allegations.This news detail also reflects badly on the Governments of Congo and Sri Lanka. Is there a broker somewhere in between, someone hidden under the bushes of Australia and these respective countries? 

What if any is the connection?

As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, is there any magical connection between the visits to the Hindu deity,.Lord Venkateswaran's Devasthanam at Tirupathi, Andra Pradesh by the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 10 December 2014 weeks prior to the debacle which followed after the famous Presidential election January 2015 and President Maitripala Sirisena recent second visit in the wee hours of the morning on 21 August 2016, his first being February 18,2015?

We don't know whether the President of Congo,H.E.Sassoulo Nguesso aslo visited Tripathi?

President Sirisena was wined and dined not long ago at the G8 in Japan.He was the flavour and favour of the West. What has happened since? To all intents and purposes,he is "under pressure" and he has to find a way out of it,which he will.He acts and means well to all Sri Lankans who are proud of his sincerity.

What's the big deal between the Minneriya Deiyo, who delivered President Maitripala Sirisena as President on 8 January 2015, and Trupathi? Is this Deiyo not as capable of appeasement as far off Lord Venkateswaran,who perhaps,caused the demise of the position of Mahinda Rajapaksa?

Who is behind these visits in the wee hours and for what reason?

There is more to it than meets the eye..

Our topsy turvy economy?

Our topsy turvy economy

Britain's economy was said to grow at twice the rate of the ailing Eurozone before Brexit. Figures of UK output rose 0.6% during the months of April to June 2016,while the single currency bloc rose 0.3%.

It also emerged that the 27 nations want to make trade deals once UK quits the EU. 

Besides, after Brexit,tourism to Britain has benefited more with a weak Pound and has led to an 18 % rise in visitors to UK.

What has suddenly caused a seismic shift? 

Since the Bank of England reduced the Bank rate from 0.5% to 0.25 %,its lowest in its 322 history and increased the Quantitative Easing (QE) by £60 billion to £435 billion on 4 August 2016, there is a noticeable unease.

It was expected that the High Street Banks would pass on this reduction to customers,but there appears to be some immediate reluctance as Banks want to boost their buffer reserves.

The public seem to have gone quiet.You don't need a high paid,positioned Governor of the Bank of England to announce a measly reduction in interest rates,which for many mortgage holders would mean an average saving on a 

£200,000 mortgage of £25.00 per month on Tracker Mortgages.

The winners and losers

The biggest losers of this interest rate change are the savers and the pensioners,who are the backbone of the Tory party support

Cutting borrowing costs is fine if there is no risk aversion built in by market

makers. 

Boosting QE means well, if there are takers.It can cause an extra 250,00 people to lose their jobs, because of the uncertainty.

Lower rates make pensions more expensive.

Lower rates make risk appetite unappealing.

Lower rates - if ever there was necessity for a further cut will damage the side effect of monetary policy,meaning more unrealistic burdens on employers.

Banks struggling to survive may have occasion to charge customers for use of banking services.

The biggest winners of the rate cut are the Property Investment market. Property investment is widely expected to lead to some big profits.

Those storing cash,risk seeing its value fall over time.Weaker sterling means bricks and mortar is cheaper.,particularly for international investors who want to squeeze the UK market.It is great news for developers and sellers.

For borrowers it will take time for any benefit to trickle down,as borrowing reached a 11 year high before the EU Referendum. 

Where to build?

Everybody talks about building more houses in London. But if the Referendum came out with one single lesson, it was that not much was being done outside of London that caused the revolt against the Establishment.

The Northern Powerhouse,(promoted by George Osborne the last Chancellor of the Exchequer) has been thrown into question in the light of Theresa May's rise to office and perhaps of her insistence on a broader industrial strategy. 

The North of England's growth has clamoured for investment. Improving the clapped out infrastructure,roads,railways,housing, improving wages, will have to take precedence.As someone said: "Quite frankly,there ain't nothing happening at all",at present." 

The fallout of the Brexit Referendum will come to haunt the Tories and Labour alike. Is it too early to contemplate a coherent plan of regional development?

Victor Cherubim