Dancing With The Stars; Boogie Woogie Bush

Metabolix Set For Commercialization

It looks like Metabolix is close to commercialization than I had previously thought. On Earth Day they moved one step closer to achieving profitability by solemnizing their alliance with Archer Daniel Midlands. The union has resulted in a newly established venture, Telles™, named for the Roman goddess of the Earth. Telles™ will produce Mirel™ Natural Plastics, a family of high performance natural plastics that are biobased, sustainable and completely biodegradable.

If everything goes as planned, the commercial scale plant in Clinton, Iowa, is expected to start up in 2008 and will produce Mirel™ at an annual rate of 110 million pounds.

Befittingly, MBLX has risen 40% on 10 times the average volume in the last 3 days since the announcement was made.

Business Dinners; Eat Your Way To Success

This week I will be attending an important dinner with CEOs' of publicly listed companies in my state. Then the following week I will attend another dinner with high ranking officials from foreign governments (No one from Kenya) who are on a business tour in the US. In both instances, I put forward my name for consideration and I was selected. Soon after, I will also find out if I have been selected to join a group of lobbyist for a one week blitz at the Capitol before they break off for summer. While I have been asked to dress appropriately, the success of both dinners depends on many factors other than the strict dress code and good table manners.

One thing I have learnt is that some of the biggest business deals were negotiated over a meal and then later sealed in a boardroom. A classic example is the purchase of YouTube by Google that was negotiated in a casual serve restaurant. With business dinners, they tend to be informal but also an important opportunity to discuss deals and should be carefully planned for in order to be successful.

Punctuality; Failure to keep time is a sure way to start a business dinner on the wrong footing. Plan to be at the venue well ahead of the agreed time. Arriving late because of bad traffic or not finding your way is a lame excuse.

Cell-phone; SWITCH OFF YOUR CELL PHONE. Unless you are Donald Trump, it is rude to answer phone calls during dinner. If need be, let people who would normally call you know that you will be out of reach. The same applies if you have Crack-Berry. Leave it in the car or at home.

The meal; Business dinners are not about food. Just because you are meeting in the best Chinese restaurant does not mean you can order a 3 lb lobster. You should order a simple to eat meal that will not keep you pre-occupied.

Wine/Alcohol; Just like it is with the meal, so should it be with the drinks. Avoid high content alcohols in order to maintain control of your mental faculties. Drinking water or fresh juice is acceptable.

Conversation; Keep your party engaged in conversation. Find common interests and talk about these. Don't talk with food in your mouth and also give the other party a chance not to do the same.

Desert; Only after you have ordered or finished your dessert should you start talking about business. By this time you should have connected with the other party and everyone is in a relaxed mood (except the buffoon who ordered a 32 oz steak). Over a cup of coffee or tea are the most important business discussions held.

Payment; Whoever invited the other party pays the tab. If you are the host, make sure you tip appropriately especially if the service and food was good. If you are not paying, don't forget to thank your host for the meal and their time.

Follow-up; If nothing was decided upon, make sure to let the other party know that you will be contacting them later. If there are any action/follow-up items, set a completion date.

The above are also applicable if you are attending a job interview dinner or a first date. The most important thing is to remember that you are not there to eat or drink, but to socialize or meet the other party.

KenyaUnlimited Aggregator Broken, Who Will Fix It?

I am not sure if other bloggers have noticed that the aggregator is not working as it should, as I have not read anywhere about it. Seeing that there has been no mention of the aggregator's functionality, I would like to point out to the administrators that it is aggregating posts that were blogged many moons ago.

With a large pool of bloggers in the IT field, I am sure there is someone out there who can fix the aggregator. Maybe the admins should send out an open request for help. While I like KenyaUnlimited for its simplicity, it would make Kenyan bloggers proud to see aggregator work as well as Anatomu or the newly created Afrigator. If possible, the PowerPoint savvy happy-campers could fix the aggregator as their project.

A good start would be disabling blogs that have been in-active for over a year to reduce the number of instances the aggregator displays old posts. Clearing the deadwood blogs might be one way of reducing the clutter.

While I appreciate that the aggregator is provided at no cost to bloggers, it may be that additional funding is required to bring the aggregator to proper functioning. Perhaps the aggregator could be commercialized to raise more advertising revenues to support it, or the admins could invite bloggers to fund KenyaUnlimited for a share of the advertising revenues.

Too Much Money

It looks like a depreciating dollar and higher oil prices are no match for the increased liquidity which pushed the S & P 500 to close at a new high. Debt funded buybacks, leveraged buy-outs and margin trades have resulted in increased stock prices.

With this being the year before US elections, it looks like we are in for another year of stellar market performance as the Republicans window-dress the economy. At this rate, Dow 15,000 does not sound far fetched any more.

Another day, another dollar. Make hay while the sun shines.

Green is For Greenbacks

Last month San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted to ban conventional plastic bags in large stores. The ban, set to take effect in six months, makes Frisco the first city in the US to promote the use of biodegradable plastic bags. While this decision did not make the headlines in Business news, it has a lot of implications on the future of the bio-plastics industry.

With consumers demanding that corporations take more responsibility in the way their businesses affect the environment, a lot of companies are now turning to greener technologies with a view of winning over consumers/customers. At the same time, new companies are emerging seeking to capitalize on the growing need for environmentally friendly technologies and products.

Metabolix Inc., which listed on the NASDAQ last year, is one of the many companies that seeks to produce biodegradable plastics. MBLX is a biotechnology company that is developing alternatives to petrochemical-based plastics, fuels and chemicals. Though the company was incorporated in 1992, it hasn't produced any profits as it yet to commercialize the production of natural plastics. It is worth noting that MBLX allocated the funds raised during its IPO for commercialization of its technologies and it has since formed an alliance with Archer Daniel Midlands for this purpose.

While there are other publicly listed companies that produce biodegradable plastics, most are large multinational chemical companies, such as Dow Chemical and BASF, that also produce petro-chemical products. What makes MBLX special is that it is solely focused on green technologies and they therefore offer the highest reward should their technologies be commercialized. However, as they are yet to achieve profitability, they carry a high risk should they fail to deliver.

With increased oil prices driving the cost of petro-chemical based products and the increased demand of their alternatives, its likely that alternative technology companies will become profitable entities in the not so distant future.

PS.
Leaf Rapids, a small town in Northern Manitoba, Canada, has also banned single use plastic bags.

The Richest Kenyans

Ask any Kenyan who the richest Kenyan is and they are likely to mention people associated with ex-president Moi or the late president Kenyatta. Though a few Kenyans of Asian origin with political connections are known to be extremely wealthy, it is unlikely that most Kenyans have heard of Vijay and Bikhu Patel.

Vijay and Bikhu operate Waymade Healthcare, a UK based company that supplies and distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical products. Brought up in poverty in Eldoret, Vijay came to Britain at the age of 16 with only £5 to spare. He took menial jobs to pay his way through A-levels and later on enrolled in the College of Pharmacy in Leicester. With a loan from an uncle, he opened his first pharmacy in Essex in 1975. His company took off when it entered the wholesaling and distribution market in 1984 and started to supply hospitals and other pharmacies. Bikhu, who had trained as an architect, later joined his brother's business and together they have grown the business at an exceptional pace.


Vijay and Bikhu owe their success to the UK's National Health Service decision in the mid-80's to switch from the use of branded drugs to generic medications in order to lower its prescription costs. Their firm specializes in parallel importation of drugs which involves sourcing drugs from cheaper countries and selling them at competitive prices in the UK where the cost of medicines are much higher.

The rapid growth of Waymade Healthcare has seen their net-worth increase from £203 million in 2000 to £455 million as of September 2006. Though their wealth has been on the rise, they have dropped from position 93 (2004) to 149 (2006) in the Sunday Times Rich List. At a minimum wealth of £455 million, Vijay and Bikhu are worth 61.6 billion Kenya shillings or $900 million making them the richest Kenyans.

Vijay Patel now aged 57 and his older brother Bikhu, aged 59, are both involved in charity. Through their firm, they fund a school in Kenya and are involved in running medical camps in India. Their firm employs more than 600 employees and had an annual turn-over of £280 million in 2003. At Waymade Healthcare, Vijay is the chief executive officer and his brother is the managing director.

*Adapted from Management Today.

Update; The Richest Kenyans II

The Green Zone; Surviving Corporate Insurgents

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win. - Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

Working in the corporate environment has many similarities like those the coalition forces face in Iraq. As with the fundamentalist who are determined to blow themselves up and take others down with them, there are corporate bullies who have the same tendency to self-destruct and cause the greatest misery in the work place. Knowing how to deal with such suicidal colleagues is paramount to surviving and climbing up the corporate food chain.

To deal with such folks, requires that you understand them. The main characteristic of these people is that they like to brawl. Nothing gives them greater joy than to inflict pain onto their colleagues. Their other characteristic is they are well connected at the top. They usually have the ear of some boss who protects them for their undeserving loyalty and sameness in character.

Like wolves, corporate bullies hunt in a pack. Once you have identified one of them, it is easy to tell the rest of their network. Most likely these are colleagues they hang out with after work, go out for lunch with, share the same hobbies or cover each other's back at work. With the pack identified, then its time to deal with them. As with insurgents you cannot afford to get into a fight with them. Taking them head-on is a lose-lose situation.

Avoid them - Try as much as possible to keep away from their turf. If possible, ensure that you have no work dealings with them. If you never have to face them, you will not have to fight them. As is their nature, let them pick their fights with other colleagues.

Ignore them - At some point, they will pick on you. When they do so, keep your calm. Don't be drawn out to fight them. Feign ignorance as to your awareness to their confrontation. They might take the cue and move to their next target.

Seek refuge - Corporate bullies don't easily give up until they have achieved their intended goal. If they pursue you persistently, hide behind the authority of someone more senior than them. Be careful not to let out that you are under attack. Don't draw the bosses into a fight. Instead let the bosses deal with the situation as they see it.

Trick them - If everything else fails, then you have to stand up for yourself. Draw them out to their level of incompetence. Lead them onto something that you excel in. When they fail and self destruct you will be left unscathed and hopefully they will save their battles for another day.

If everything fails or should they return later, take them through the motions again (avoid them, ignore them, seek refuge then finally trick them) until they move on to their next target or they get weeded out.

By all means, DON’T GET INTO A FIGHT UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE.

*Also by this author;

- Team Player; How to Play Corporate Hard-ball
- Puppy Power; Dealing With a B-i-t-c-h-ing Boss

Happy Easter

For many people, the best church services are Easter Sunday and Christmas services. With good reason, these are the most popular occasions in the Christian calendar. While the significance may be lost to many others, the reason most people pack churches worldwide has a lot to do with the hymns sang during these two services.

The traffic jam leading to the church was a testament that the church was going to be filled to capacity. With other worshippers trying to leave the earlier service and the others coming in for the last service of the day, it took almost 30 minutes to find parking.

Without doubt, come Christmas time, the same will be repeated again.

Happy Easter! Let Us Rejoice.

Tipping Point: small Change Makes a BIG Difference

A while back, a recently immigrated colleague asked me to recommend for them a barber. In our conversation I mentioned that he has to tip the barber and this got him infuriated. Like most immigrants he could not understand why the tip is not included in the price of the service.

It took me a while before I could come to terms with the tipping culture in America. Back home tipping, referred to as chai, meant an inducement by a "law abiding citizen" to gain favour especially if they want things done for them. As I better understood the American culture, I have came to embrace the idea of tipping. Even though a lot of people have abused the concept of tipping, it remains an integral part of individuals income especially for the lowly paid occupations in the service industry.

The number one rule of tipping is NEVER to tip in loose change, unless you are tipping your local drug dealer 40 cents so that he can buy a loosey. It is better not to tip than to tip in coins. That said, the minimum tip should be $1. Because of this, I always carry a wad a single dollar bills meant for tips. The amount of tip will usually depend on the size of your wallet and the frequency and quality of the service provided.

Occupation	Amount	Comments
Waiter(ess)	min 10%	Do not tip a rude waiter
Door-man	min $1	For accepting your delivery or taking your message
Bellhop	$1 - $5	They should help you with your luggage
Cloak-room attendant	$1 - $5	I think they earn the most tips
Barber	$3 - $5	This is critical for a good hair cut
Merry maid	min $5	A tip makes them do superb cleaning
House-keeper	$2 - $5	Leave the tip in the hotel room
Valet parking	$2- $10	Tip extra if your car is cleaned
Car wash	$3 - $10	Don't tip if they do a shoddy job
Restroom attendant	$2 -$5	No comment
Delivery guy	$2 - $10	Especially if they are on time
Airport/Hotel Shuttle	$1 - $5	Always tip if they help with the luggage
Taxi driver	min $2	Tip more if they drive through Stop lights

If you frequent an establishment, for example a hotel or a restaurant, you should tip well to ensure prompt service on your return visits. The difference between a lousy and a good tip is usually the time you have to wait to be served/seated or the quality of the hotel room provided. A friend of mine who works in the city and parks his car in a garage likes to tip the parking attendants daily. That way his car is always clean and waiting for him at 6 pm when he leaves his place of work. Even if there is a queue of 10 people before him, they will rush down his car as soon as they spot him. For him, the tip is a small price to pay for his precious time.

During the Christmas festivities, it is advisable to tip a little bit more than you usually do. For the establishments that you frequent, it makes a big difference if you send a tip for all the staff. Come the following year, you can be assured of exemplary services during your patronage.

Help Wanted; Restroom Attendant

It's a shitty job, but someone's got to do it!

If you are going are going to pay through your nose for a meal and drink the best wine, why not have someone help you in the restaurant toilet. For a fraction of the cost of the meal, a restroom attendant may help you unzip your fly and if you are drunk he may help you aim for the urinal. And if taking a dump is harder than trying to get out of a paper bag, he may help you too.

I've always thought America should be renamed Wonderland. Where else would you find someone to dry your hands when you are done using the toilet? As if it's not enough for someone to watch you go about your business, you have to pay him after you are done. Unfortunately for people who work as restroom attendants, they hardly get paid by the establishments for which they work in. Instead, they have to rely on well-to-do dinner's to pay them for their extra-ordinary services.

Depending on the scale of the restaurant, some restroom attendants take home more than $100 on a good night. While they may be looked down, most restroom attendants have a day job and they probably don't report their night earnings to the IRS so they get to keep most of what they collect.

Personally, if I know or suspect a restaurant has a restroom attendant, I try not to use their toilets. Not because I don't want to part with my dollars, but because I find this kind of service intrusive and out-right demeaning.