Asian Tiger

Petrol price is skyrocketing. Although the price is controlled by the Malaysian Government, it is only a matter of time before prices are adjusted along with the world price of crude oil. When the price increases, so will the cost of goods and services. Instead of waiting for the consequences of increased petrol price, it is prudent to start looking into cost control.

For companies, the easiest and fastest way to start their cost control campaign is to look at the office stationaries. Most employees print documents without second thoughts as if paper and printer toners are free.  Printing has been identified as one of the major cost components of a business; hence, the proliferation of compatible printer ink, softcopy adoption and document management system.  Some company has gone as far as disabling printing for employees unless approved by their head of departments.

Controlling stationaries is simple to implement and takes little effort.  Papers, toners, inks and electricity can all be saved which can be very substantial in a large company.  Before you use generic toners, bear in mind that most printer manufacturers will void their warranty if found that a fault is due to generic products.

Depending on how your performance is measured, there are a few ways to survive the dreaded appraisal period.

If your company uses balance scorecard and measurable KPIs for performance appraisal, you have no choice but to make sure you perform consistently.  Most balance scorecard that I have seen have a month to month measurement, so, you have a chance to buck up towards the end of every month to make sure you meet your KPIs.

If your company use the traditional once-a-year-superior-subordinate-mark-your-performance-based-on-how-much-the-superior-can-remember, you are in luck.  Most superiors can only remember 3 months into the past.  So, if you know that your appraisal is in June, just make sure you work hard from April onwards.  Try to recall your previous appraisals, think back about what your superior said; is it not true that he/she only mentions recent events – good or bad?

During your appraisal, just make sure you smile, dress proper, be extremely courteous and agree with what your boss says.  Compliment him/her whenever he/she mentions good points and take note when negative views are given.  Don’t create a scene and don’t make your boss angry or frustrated.  Most bosses will only recommend for promotion or salary adjustment after the face-to-face appraisal.  So, don’t piss him/her off.

Some bosses prefer to write in pencil and have you sign off the appraisal form in pen.  If this happens to you, it’s time to look for a job.

Before we get into answering the question, let us understand first what causes the Nokia 6300 battery to drain so quickly.  Firstly, to maintain the slimness of the phone, a lower capacity battery is needed. Secondly, the phone comes with 16 million colours and the display is bright.  Thirdly, the phone has lots of functions that causes the battery to drain quickly; e.g. Bluetooth, GPRS, camera and music player.

In order to extend your battery life, you can do one or more of the following:

1. Turn off everything – Leave only the essential functions you need.  This method is not very practical since the Nokia 6300 was designed to do beyond calling, texting and MMSing.
2. Drain and charge – Use your phone until the battery completely drains and charge it to full again.  Repeat as necessary.  Some owners have reported longer battery life after performing this and a few owners reported that if you charge the phone while switching off, the results would be better.
3. Change to BL-5C battery – The Nokia 6300 comes with the BL-4C battery.  If you change to the BL-5C batter (which is of higher capacity), your phone will last longer.  However, you will need to sand off about 1milimeter in order to fit your phone.  DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. This method may void your warranty.