Pathfinders Enterprise

28/06/2019

We are Coaching and Training company in Singapore, interested to collaborate with those who have
synergies in what both companies are doing.

Pathfinders Enterprise is established in Singapore. (mypathways.net)
We assist companies to identify their competitive strengths to stand above the crowd.

Very briefly,

1. Training with focus on Controls and Compliance
2. Coaching by holding hands of senior team for identifying the solutions and implementing the same.
3. Nurturing young individuals aspiring to grow.
4. Succession plans and assessing the successor potentials.
5. Managing Family business

Regards,

Suresh Shah
Phone #90934956
Reply to: [email protected]

24/06/2019

10 Editing Tips for Business Writers
Writing can sometimes be messy, frustrating, and hard. But you can make your working life a little easier by editing with these principles in mind. It's simple: Whether you're writing a two-line email or a 10-page report, anticipate the needs of your readers. Remember the four Cs:
• Be clear
• Concise
• Considerate
• Correct
1. Adopt the "you attitude."
This means looking at a topic from the point of view of your readers, emphasizing what they want or need to know.
• Example: I have requested that your order be sent out today.
• Revision: You will receive your order by Wednesday.
2. Focus on the real subject.
Don't bury a key word by dropping it into a phrase following a weak subject.
• Example: The implementation of the new marketing campaign will begin on June 1.
• Revision: The new marketing campaign will begin on June 1.
3. Write actively, not passively.
Wherever it's appropriate, put your subject up front and make it do something. The active voice generally works better than the passive because it's more direct, more concise, and easier to understand. (But not always.)
• Example: Your proposal was reviewed at our meeting on April 1, and it was immediately submitted to the developers.
• Revision: We reviewed your proposal on April 1 and immediately submitted it to the developers.
4. Cut unnecessary words and phrases.
Wordy expressions may distract readers, so cut the clutter.
• Example: I am writing this note because I want to thank you very much for organizing the open house that was held last Thursday.
• Revision: Thank you very much for organizing last Thursday's open house.
5. But don't leave out key words.
To be clear as well as concise, we sometimes need to add a word or two.
• Example: The storage shed is the first step.
• Revision: Unlocking the storage shed is the first step.
6. And don't forget your manners.
Here's where being considerate comes in. If you say "please" and "thank you" when talking with colleagues, include those words in your emails as well.
• Example: Send me the jargon report before you head home.
• Revision: Please send me the jargon report before you head home.
7. Avoid outdated expressions.
Unless you enjoy sounding stuffy in print, stay away from words and phrases that are never used in conversation—"attached herewith," "this is to advise you," "as per your request."
• Example: Attached herewith for your reference is a duplicated version of the aforementioned deed.
• Revision: I have enclosed a copy of the deed.
8. Put a cap on the vogue words and buzzwords.
Trendy expressions tend to wear out their welcome fast. Ditto for corporate jargon. Do your best to write like a human.
• Example: At the end of the day the bottom line is that we should facilitate opportunities for employees to provide input on best practices.
• Revision: Let's encourage people to make suggestions.
9. Unstack your modifiers.
Stacking means piling up modifiers before a noun—the verbal equivalent of a traffic jam. Long noun strings may save a word or two, but they may also puzzle your readers.
• Example: Space telescope wide-field planetary camera instrument definition team ground based charged-couple-device camera (from New Scientist, cited by Matthew Lindsay Stevens in Subtleties of Scientific Style, 2007)
• Revision: Huh?
10. And, of course, proofread.
Finally, there's correctness: always make sure you check your work, no matter how good you think you've gotten at the other Cs.
• Example:: When you're in a hurry, it's very easy to leave words.
• Revision: When you're in a hurry, it's very easy to leave out words.

17/04/2019

કેડી પર વરઘોડો ચાલે?

સોમાથી ૯૯ માણસો વરઘોડામાં ચાલવાની નિરાંત માણે છે - નીચે જોવું જ નથી પડતું.
આપણો સમાજ રિવાજ મુજબ ચાલે છે.
સદીઓ સુધી સતીનો કુરિવાજ ચાલતો રહ્યો.
સદીઓથી દહેજનો રિવાજ ચાલતો રહ્યો છે.
છગને બીડી પીધી એટલે મગને પીધી.
આખું ગામ દેખાદેખી ગુટકા ની મજા માણે છે.
જરાક જુદા પડીને જિવો તો કુથલી થાય.

આજનો માણસ આ જ રિતે વરચોડામાં ચાલે છે, બલ્કે ઘસડાય છે. એ જીવતો હોવાના વહેમમાં ચાલતો રહે છે.

ગુણવંતભાઈ શાહ ના સુંદર વિચારપ્રેરક લખાણ પરથી કાંઇક લખવાનું મન થયું.

20/04/2018

01/03/2018

The Flash of Statues

Painter, sculpter, architect and poet, Michelangelo dazzled his contemporaries with his terribilita, his awesomeness, the power of his presentation of the human body based on a consummate knowledge of anatomy.

The writer Aretin paid tribute to this art in 1537: With him, the human body is almost solely an architectonic form. In his frescos and statues, the bodies are movements excelling themselves and the melodic lines of muscles develop according to laws of music, not those of representation.

Two centuries later, such were not the aesthetics of Canova, the adept of soft and languish flash.
I could never understand what you call, Michelangelo, anatomical knowledge. I think for my part, that he deliberately strove for poses twisted in motion in order to accentuate, wth excessive vehemence, the parts and muscles that most stand out.

16/02/2018

Nelson Mandela
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
Wounds tahat can’t be seen are more painful than those that can be seen and cured by a doctore.
I learned that to humiliate another person is to make him suffer an unnecesessary cruel fate.
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. I felt fear myself more times than I can remember, but I hid it behind a mask of boldness. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers fear.
Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right to dignity and a deent life.
If the experience of South Africa means anything to the world at large, we hope that it is in having demonstrated that where people of goowill get together and transcend their differences for the common good, peaceful and just solutions can be found even for those problems which seem most intractable.
Suresh Shah, Pathfinders Enterprise
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11/02/2018

Music transcends all barriers
Music comes both from me an through me. We learn techniques from our Guru – all the fixed things – in the beginning. Then, for years, after working in dexterity and all the nauances.
We feel the music. It all comes out, it just flows out. Music is just an addiction. It is just like the ecstacy of finding gems in the vast ocean. It’s sheer pleasure.
Marriage, musically of course, is melody and rhythm. But is best when you marry someone half your age at the age of sixty-nine. No, seriously, love is the most important thing. And after the passion becomes much less, it is understanding, tolerance, and patience. These are the things that can maintain the marriage.
I never try to impart wisdom, because I feel I don’t have much really.But I do love to share passion, love, and ecstacy through my music. All this talk of peace and love, which is a very important thing and which everybody is trying to impart through very intelligent explanations. I can only express through music. I find it so much simpler. It flows out of me.
- Ravi Shankar, one of the leading Indian musicians of modern era. A legend in India and abroad, Shankar has has melded Indian music in western forms: he has written concertos, bellets, and film scores. In the 1960s, Shankar attracted worldwide attention for appearing at the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock, and for teaching Beatle George Harrison to play the Sitar. His film score for Gandhi earned him nominations for bothe Academy and Grammy awards, and he has received twelve honorary doctorates as well as the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor. In 1986 he became the member of Rajya Sabha, India’s Upper House of Parliament.

11/02/2018

No human community can exist without culture, Vaclav Havel
He was awarded Gandhi Peace prize in 2003. Because he was born in bourgoies family, he was barred from post secondary education in communist Czechoslovakia.He worked in theatre and became playwright, satirizing his country's totalitarian regie\me, which led to numerous imprisonments.
In 1989, he became leader of Civic forum, a coalition sttruggling for democratic reform, and when communist regime capitulated, he became the first non-communist president since 1948.Ths Federation dissolved in 1992 and he was elected first president of the new Czech Republic, servinv from 1993-2003.

09/02/2018

17/07/2017

5 Easy Ways to Overcome Procrastination
Procrastination is like a sore throat; it's a symptom with many possible causes.
Unless you know the cause, the treatment for the symptom might things worse.
1. The size of a task seems overwhelming.
Explanation: Every time you think about the task it seems like a huge mountain of work that you'll never be able to complete. You therefore avoid starting.
Solution: Break the task into small steps and then start working on them. This builds momentum and makes the task far less daunting.
Example: You've decided to write a book. Rather than sitting down and trying to write the book (which will probably cause you to stare at the blank screen), spend one hour on each of the following sub-tasks:
1. Jot down as many ideas as possible.
2. Sort the ideas into an outline.
3. List out anecdotes you'll want to include.
4. Write a sample anecdote to determine style.
5. Review existing materials (e.g. presentations).
6. Assign those materials to sections of your outline.
7. Write the first three paragraphs of a sample chapter.
8. Create a schedule to write 2 pages a day.
2. The number of tasks seems overwhelming.
Explanation: Your to-do list has so many tasks in it that you feel as if you'll never be able to finish them all, so why bother getting started?
Solution: Combine the tasks into a conceptual activity and then set a time limit for how long you'll pursue that activity.
Example: Your email account is being peppered by so many requests and demands that you feel as if you can't possibly get them done. Rather than fret about the pieces and parts, set aside a couple of hours to "do email." Schedule a similar session tomorrow or later that day.
Thinking of the work as an activity rather than a bunch of action items makes them seem less burdensome.
3. A set of tasks seem repetitive and boring.
Explanation: You're a creative person with an active mind so you naturally put off any activity that doesn't personally interest you.
Solution: Set a time limit for completing a single task in the set and then compete against yourself to see if you can beat that time limit. Reward yourself each time you beat the clock.
Example: You're a newly-hired salesperson who must write personalized emails to two dozen customers. The work involves quickly researching their account, addressing any issues they've had with the previous salesperson, and then introducing yourself.
Rather than just slogging through the work, estimate the maximum amount of time it should take to write one letter (let's say 5 minutes). It should thus take you 120 minutes (2 hours) to write all of them.
Start the stopwatch, write the first email. If you have time left over, do something else (like read the news). When the stopwatch buzzes, reset, write the second email, etc.
4. The task seems so important that it's daunting.
Explanation: You realize that if you screw this task up, it might mean losing your job or missing a huge opportunity. You avoid it because you don't want to risk failure.
Solution: Contact somebody you trust and ask if they'll review your work (if the task is written) or act as a sounding board (if the task is verbal). Doing the task for your reviewer is low-risk and thus the task is easier to start. The reviewer's perspective and approval provides you extra confidence when you actually execute the task.
Example: You need to write an email demanding payment from a customer who's in arrears. Because you don't want to damage the relationship and yet need to be paid, it's a difficult balancing act--so difficult that you avoid writing the email.
To break the mental log-jam, ask a colleague or friend if they'll review your email before you send it to see if it hits the right tone. Writing the email then becomes easier because you're writing it for your friend to read rather than for the customer.
Problem: You just don't feel like working.
Explanation: You're feeling burned out and generally unmotivated, so you're finding it very hard to get down to work.
Solution: You have two choices: 1) reschedule the activity for a time when you'll be more motivated or 2) motivate yourself in the short-term by setting a reward.
Example: You need to write a trip report but you're tired after a long day of travel. While you know that the report will be more accurate if you write it now, you decide to write it tomorrow morning after breakfast and coffee--a time when you're typically more motivated.
Alternatively, you motivate yourself short-term promising yourself that you'll buy and download a book that you've been wanting to read... but only if you write the report tonight.
Suresh Shah, Pathfinders Enterprise
My thoughts in writing above, are inspired by the write in WSJ

29/06/2017

5 ways technology will change commerce

Someday soon, you’ll be able to pull up to a drive-through restaurant having already selected and paid for your order using a digital terminal in your Internet-enabled car. “We’re at an inflection point,” said Jim McCarthy, EVP of innovation and strategic partnerships at Visa.
McCarthy went on to explain that you are entering the age where every object has the potential to be connected and payment-enabled.
The digital future is all about heightening convenience for consumers, banks and merchants alike—without sacrificing security. Tokenization (replacing sensitive account details with a temporary digital token) and the Internet of Things (embedding connectivity into everyday objects) lead the way when it comes to payment technology, noted McCarthy.
You are looking at 21 billion Internet-connected devices by 2020—or 7 billion mobile phones—as opportunities for payment and acceptance points. This is exponential compared to where we are today.
How will these innovations impact your everyday lives?
Here’s a taste for what’s to come, making transactions more seamless than ever before.
1. Your fridge will order another gallon of milk before you realize it’s running low
Using sensor technology, your connected fridge will be able to detect when you’re running low on an item and trigger an order for you. This will only happen after the consumer programs rules and opts in.
A “smart fridge” could connect to a grocery-delivery service and be at your door before you know it. “These things aren’t that far away.
2. Your rideshare will initiate deals and offers near your destination
Visa’s use of data analytics allows you to help your merchants connect the dots on consumers’ purchase behaviors and therefore better cater to their unique preferences.
For example, mobile parking solution provider IPS recently launched its Park Smarter app, which uses the Visa Commerce Network to offer consumers deals from nearby businesses based on their past preferences. You might even get a discount to a restaurant near your parking destination.
3. You’ll continue to be better protected from fraud
Thanks to tokenization, digital purchases made with a credit card benefit from an extra layer of security. Visa Token Service replaces sensitive payment account information found on plastic cards with a digital account number or “token.” Because tokens do not carry a consumer’s payment account details, such as the 16-digit account number, they can be safely stored by online merchants or on mobile devices to facilitate e-commerce and mobile-based payments.
More and more, tokens are bound to specific devices, like your phone, which means even more peace of mind. Misuse can be detected and corrected swiftly, without the need for consumer intervention.
4. Your iris and fingerprint will become more mainstream to authenticate your identity
The days of having to remember a password or PIN are numbered.
Biometrics, like using a fingerprint and iris scan, can help you more conveniently transact at ATMs, complete mobile purchases.
Soon, pre-order cash at banks and credit unions for pick up. You can walk up to an ATM, and if you have registered your iris, you can look at it and the money [you are withdrawing] comes out.
Using unique traits you possess, biometrics add an additional layer of security and authentication option. If your sensor can’t read your fingerprint because it’s wet, you can simply use an alternative biometric, like your voice.
5. You can fine-tune your account settings from wherever you are
Control over account spending lies in the lap of the consumer and is becoming much more nuanced.
Using mobile apps or an online dashboard enabled with Visa’s Consumer Transaction Controls, cardholders can cap how much they spend at a certain merchant or impose channel restrictions (e.g. no e commerce) for kids.
You can actually treat card like a thermostat.

Are You Ready?

Suresh Shah, Pathfinders Enterprise

Like us on pages: Pathfinders Enterprise / Friends who likes Pathfinders Enterprise
Please read a book recently published on amazon.com – Are you ready to do business I n Tomorrow’s World?

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07/06/2017

Challenges in managing Family businesses Family over Money or, Money over Family?

To successfully manage a family business requires lot of competencies and commitment.

Some of the skills required can be

• Conflict resolution

• Managing finance

• Managing legal issues

It is obvious for any family business to have difference of opinions among members but though there might be minor differences, the family and business are united.

Historically, many successful family businesses have broken up by second or third generation. It is said that the first generation establishes the business. Second generation grows it; whereas, in most cases, third generation dissolves it. Decisions made in the boardroom could change overnight on the dinner table at home.

Major challenge is Succession - often Postponed

 No immediate reward for starting now

 Deferred penalty for leaving it too late

A stroll in Arab street, Singapore – majority are family businesses

Challenges Family businesses face

 Ethical failures – hesitates to take punitive actions or vested interests

 Conflict of Interest (awarding contracts, choice of suppliers/vendors/customers)

 Lack of systematic Inventory management

 Retaining talents – heavily centralized decision making forces young talents to leave

 To entice the next generation to take over the business – they want to do something different or doing differently (mostly foreign educated)

 To embrace the difference in ideas between current and future owners

Main issue is Generation Gap – how to reconcile?

 Role models for new generations have changed. Heads of families are no more remaining role models..

 Collective thinking is missing

 Main business director (usually, head of the family) cannot remain transparent in maintaing balance between contribution (from the members) and compensation payable.

 Unclear or incomplete communication

 Dispute can start from spouses, e.g. when elder brother travels in economy class on a business trips; whereas, the younger one always goes by first class. Influence of spouses can disturb the setup.

 Not agreeing on particular business strategy

 Dispute arises in allocation of resources. One member wants certain people on her/his side

 Or, another member is asking for more facilities

 Hesitate to consult the experts (external) for fear of losing confidentiality

When the founder member (usually, Head of the family) is alive, many differences do not surface. She/he knows how to resolve and acts as a bonding factor

However, when the Head departs, the next eldest member takes the reins. Initially, there could be silent opposition against her/him from other members, and slowly it surfaces as disputes.

 Why succession – Age, Migration, Diversion, Split
For suggested solutions, refer to https://www.amazon.com/ARE-READY-BUSINESS.../dp/B071LGG9RM/