Ricky’s Online Business Blog

I just finished reading the book MBA Diary, which contains a collection of articles written by MBA students and graduates, on their experience in pursuing the MBA (Master of Business Administration).

The articles are compiled by Rodney Toh and Benson Wong, who also write many chapters in it. What is so special about this book is that it is like a “devotional” book on MBA. That means it contains short articles that you can read up quickly anytime you are free, perhaps after waking up in the morning, or before you sleep at night.

What is so advantageous about having an MBA in the marketplace? The subtitle gives you an overview - “How an MBA experience enhances managerial skills, knowledge, networking and professional value in today’s competitive world”.

There are people who criticize having an MBA as useless as it is an academic qualification. I have some customers who share this view, especially those who came out from school early and built their businesses from scratch. They would rather hire MBAs to work for them, instead of going for MBA themselves.

But the second chapter “Building Competitive Advantage Through MBAs” by Rodney gives me some answers. While there are some truths behind the criticisms, and while there are poorly run MBA courses around, a good MBA is not just about studying and going to exam.

A good MBA trains our minds to see things differently (rather than always through our lens of experience) and so solve business problems creatively. It is is much more than a course. It is also a self-development training, an eye-opening experience, a life journey, a networking opportunity, and more.

The book is one of its kind in the market. There is no other book on MBA like this (not the kind like the dry “The Ten Day MBA”). The book is a blue ocean product for the authors. I envy the authors must have earned a lot

Besides being a great promotion tool for MBA, the book is also like a dream book for would-be MBA students to “preview” their MBA dream before pursuing it. Am I interested to take up MBA? Of course, otherwise I would not have bought the book!

Too much to share here. Better go buy and read the book yourself!

I’m helping a student on NextLevel Tutor Network to find a home tuition teacher for Form 5 physics and chemistry.  The location is in Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

A Chinese female tutor is preferred.  Click here for more information on the tuition job. If interested, please contact info [at] nextlevel.com.my.

If you operate a tuition agency or a tuition web site, you are welcome to contact me if you have any tutor under your belt who can take the student.  We can work out some deal for this job, or even for future jobs in the long-term.

I have many partner tuition agencies in Singapore, but almost not a single reliable one in Malaysia.  Why?  Perhaps tuition agencies in Malaysia think NextLevel is their competitor.  But this is a misnomer.  Actually NextLevel is a platform not only for tutors, parents and students.  It is also for tuition businesses to promote their tuition service online.

For example, after I met the entrepreneur behind one local tuition web site, I offered him to take over all tutiion jobs on NextLevel Malaysia site that are not taken by our tutors.  But apparently, somehow he was not interested.

By the way, what do you think of the current debate whether to continue teaching maths and science in Malaysian schools in English?  No offense to anyone, but I think it should continue for now.  Once launched, it takes years to gauge the results for an initiative.

By the way, learning something in English does not necessarily mean a threat to any other language.  Let’s not have such “red ocean” kind of mentality.

This announcement is for registered tutors in NextLevel Tutor Network in Malaysia, or anyone who can help.

A education centre in Bukit Tinggi 2, Klang is looking for Japanese speaker as part-time Japanese teacher.

He or she should be able to speak English, has a fun and cheerful personality.  Experience is preferred but not necessary.

If you or anyone you know are interested, please contact us here.  We will forward your email to the person in charge.

Update 20th October 2008 - Due to lack of response from the education centre, we no longer help to forward your email to them.  Please DO NOT send to us any more.