Thursday, March 19, 2015
Creative ideas: XIAOMI Mi Multi-function Wristband
Phones/ Gadgets are becoming
extremely advance, well-designed, durable and straightforward to use that
everyday I woke up feeling that my current phone (1 week purchase) is already obsolete;
One can only imagine our lives in many years from now, thinking how phone
designers/creators live and think everyday of their lives, oh well, not my
concern but somehow I am affected with the progress of time, people and
anything alike, I like change but I guess, things are so randomly fast…
Chinese creativity are
fast arising and this article is a perfect example on how these genius people
capable of conquering the world in terms of hi-tech gadgets,
Introducing: XIAOMI MI WRISTBAND
Main Features:
* Water resistant (IP67)
* 30-day standby power
* Sleep-cycle smart alarm
* Fitness monitor & sleep tracker
* Running MIUI Android 4.4 and above
* Unlock your Mi phone without a password
* Stylish band options (incl. wrap-around and leather)
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
The 35-day life of a KFC chicken... in a shed full of 34,000 others: Inside farm that houses some of fast food chain's 23 million birds
As one of the UK’s most
popular fast food chains, it sells almost 400 pieces of chicken every minute.
But now
conditions on the farms that supply KFC with 23million chickens a year can be
shown for the first time.
The images show
tens of thousands of chickens kept together in huge sheds, alive for just 35
days before they are gassed.
A documentary
tonight shows the birds living amid their excrement in conditions activists say
are ‘oppressive’ – but the farmer in charge claims it’s ‘a very good life’.
Footage to be
screened this evening on BBC1 focuses on one farm where about 34,000 chickens
are penned into a shed with few windows.
When they are
large enough the chickens are gassed, chopped into nine pieces and sent to
warehouses in large trays where they are then distributed to branches
nationwide.
About 1,000 farms
in the country supply KFC with 23million chickens a year. The programme focuses
on a farmer called Andrew who says the chickens at his farm – left to do
nothing but eat and drink until they reach the required weight – have a good
life, saying he ‘wouldn’t mind being a chicken in here’.
Scenes show the
chickens as they walk around in their own excrement while a layer of sawdust
has turned murky brown from mopping up waste.
Asked if he
thinks this is a problem, Andrew says: ‘No, no, no, that’s not a problem at
all, because you see here, this is all sawdust, so the idea is to keep this as
dry as possible
Millions of these
birds, just like the ones KFC is commissioning to be produced die in sheds
wretchedly and painfully every year.
‘These birds are
deprived of everything that makes life worth living. The next step after this
is to be grabbed by their frail legs, and shoved in crates and taken off to
slaughter. A great number suffer broken bones during this process.’
A BBC spokesman
said the documentary offers ‘an impartial look at KFC, one of the UK’s most
recognisable businesses’.
It is the first
time cameras have been allowed access to KFC.
A KFC spokesman
said: ‘Animal welfare is essential for high quality food and is important to
our customers, and all of KFC’s suppliers meet or exceed UK and EU
welfare requirements. KFC was the first quick-service restaurant to gain Red
Tractor certification and we have in place our own robust standard, which is
independently audited by third parties.’
Episode one of
The Billion Dollar Chicken Shop airs on BBC1 at 9pm
ALCATEL ONETOUCH announces revolutionary products at MWC!
ALCATEL ONETOUCH, the
world’s fastest-growing smartphones brand; during the Mobile World Congress,
they announced revolutionary products as mentioned below:
1. IDOL 3:
It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with a next-generation sensor. Plus, an
IDOL 3 exclusive feature: it is 100 percent reversible, so users can
grab their phone upside down and the IDOL 3 user interface automatically
adjusts
2. Large-Screen PIXI 3
Smartphones (5.5) are perfect for multimedia and streaming. It is Ideal for gaming and watching films as it offers a
fast and immersive streaming experience. The PIXI 3 (5.5) 4G comes with
a download booster, which means that users can download large files superfast,
using LTE and Wi-Fi simultaneously.
3. PIXI 3 Tablets
is an affordable choice which offers different screen sizes and connection
options. It is fast and highly portable, the processor not only supports
multimode 3G/4G LTE for fast, efficient web browsing, 8 megapixel camera and
full HD video capture and playback. The PIXI 3 (7)’s Wi-Fi display feature
allows users to go from palm size to super-size in no time, easily sharing
images from the tablet to a larger screen
4. Wi-Fi LINKs,
the world’s most versatile mobile Wi-Fi offers high-
speed
Wi-Fi wherever users want it. These mobile hotspots allow users to connect
their laptops, tablets or any other Wi-Fi-enabled device to the mobile network
of their choice
Great Place to Work® reveals UAE’s ‘Top 15 Companies to Work For’ & ‘Most Distinguished SMEs to Work For’
The ‘Top 15 Companies to work for in the UAE’ are:
|
|||
Rank
|
Company Name
|
Fast Facts
|
What makes them
great
|
1
|
DHL
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Logistics
|
Being number 1 on the
GPTW list for the second year in a row, DHL proved it puts its workplace
initiatives on top of its Strategic plans. DHL’s various people policies and
practices are perfectly aligned to its corporate values, vision, and mission.
Its human capital work is centered on its ‘employee value proposition’ which
includes Growth, Impact and Pride - all of which are evident from its onboarding
programme to the customized learning and development plans each employee
receives. Every aspect of the employee lifecycle at DHL, from recruitment to
retirement, is closely aligned with the company’s core values, its business
objectives and mission of inspiring people to give their best – both in and
out of the office.
|
2
|
Ericsson
|
Communications
|
Not only is creating a
great place to work culture a challenge, what happens once you get there?
Ericsson, in order to
maintain a hi-performance culture, took the approach down to Talent
Acquisition so that their recruitment and onboarding processes have added
filters to ensure that they hire people who closely connect with their
culture. This enables new hires to succeed in their fast pace and challenging
environment. They have developed
competencies for each role so that it enables the hiring process to narrowly
define what is needed for each role.
|
3
|
Omnicom Media Group
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Media
|
OMG’s keen focus on
work/life balance makes it stand out as a leading example of how
organizations should integrate health and wellness into a company’s culture.
OMG also enjoys genuine dedication and commitment from its senior leaders.
The OMG’s HR forums are championed by the senior management and HR Leaders
and provide a confidential team environment for all employees to have a voice
about their working lives. This incorporates all facets associated with
discussing company initiatives, policies, idea generation, learning and
development and enhances the collaboration between management and employees
to create empowerment across the entire organization.
|
4
|
THE One
|
Retail
|
THE One is arguably
the top company when it comes to the visible commitment and engagement of the
CEO. Having authentic and consistent support and involvement from the CEO
when it comes to the engagement of employees is critical. THE One provides a
unique and compelling social mission that its employees can get emotionally
attached to, helping to motivate and inspire them.
As mentioned in
previous years, THE One set up THE Onederworld - a Sustainable Village
Community programme with balanced quality Education at its heart. Presently,
six classrooms of a brand new school have been built in the Pimbiniet
community in Kenya
in conjunction with Free The Children.
|
5
|
Marriott
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Hospitality /Hotel/Resort
|
Marriott International
Inc. is considered as one of the biggest and leading companies in the
hospitality industry. It is one of the largest hotel operators worldwide and
operates up to 4,200+ hotels across the globe. Hiring process for managers in
Marriott International Inc. makes it much more interesting for managerial
positions. The group follows an orientation and induction program called “In
The Beginning”, in which they meet with the management team of the property(ies)
and they are introduced to the company’s culture, standards, history, and
milestones.
Marriott International
Inc. cares about employees in many different ways. For example, employees can work in any
Marriott International Inc. around the world. Marriott International Inc.
also cares about employees’ development, their career paths and many other
aspects of interest for their growth through a program called “Spirit to
serve our Associates”. Marriott International Inc. is one of the good
companies that cares about employees and customers while at the same time
treating them ethically. Marriott is engaging its top vendors to supply
price-neutral greener products across the company’s $10 billion supply chain.
One of the unique
programs Marriot undertakes is to reduce its overall environmental impact and
support local communities. The company has introduced a Green Meeting and
“Spirit to Preserve the Rainforest” program for its meeting planners, and
offers its associates on business travel the Hertz Green Collection—including
hybrid rental vehicles with SmartWay certification from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
|
6
|
Estee Lauder
|
Health and beauty
|
Estee lauder strives
to build a culture in which employees are supported and respected. New
joiners are welcomed by a welcome card sent to them before joining Estee
Lauder. Expatriate employees are provided with a book called “Don’t they know
its Friday” which is a resident’s guide and Dubai Map explaining some of the differences
in living in the Middle East. The book is
couriered to employees before they join.
Estee Lauder runs a
lot of social campaigns such as a “Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign” which
the company is doing consistently and in addition to World AIDS Day and many
others.
Estee Lauder has a
program called “Dream space” which is a digital collaboration tool for
employees. It is an innovation portal for idea generation. It basically aims
to empower every employee to innovate and lead from every chair.
|
7
|
Weber Shandwick
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Communications
|
Weber Shandwick
recently moved offices. It made its in-house creative team work as a liaison
between staff members and industrial designers and printers to ensure
everything in the office represents the staff. From the plants chosen, to the
imagery on the walls and even the bespoke welcome desk (that was custom-built
to suit the height of its receptionist) - the Weber Shandwick Dubai office is
branded with all of employees’ voices. It chose to engage all team members
when branding the company, bringing its motto of “Engaging Always” to life.
|
8
|
Hyatt
|
Hospitality
|
Hyatt’s culture is
centered on its people. New joiners coming from outside the UAE are welcomed
in the airport by their assigned buddies. Joining gifts are given to all
employees. Hyatt HR sends post cards and gives employees a call on their
birthdays. Sending dinner vouchers for 2 on associates’ retirement
anniversary.
Each June, Hyatt
hotels around the world participate in “Celebrating Our People,” a week-long
event that recognizes the company’s most important asset and their tremendous
dedication.
Among
the fun and exciting activities featured during the 2014 “Celebrating Our
People” week at its UAE hotels:
·
Zumba classes
·
Photography workshops
·
Pastry workshops;
·
The Amazing Race
(treasure hunt)
·
Flower arrangement and
plate painting (Manzil)
·
Iceland/Wild Wadi
Waterpark outing
·
Mirror Maze outing
·
Special breakfasts
·
Ice skating
Hyatt offers a variety
of development programs that are dedicated to empower and develop employees. Examples
of the offered programs are below:
·
Hyatt has contracted
with Harvard Business School Publishing to create a blended learning experience
on a variety of leadership topics
·
Hyatt Leadership
Network (HLN) is an online learning platform. It serves as the central
repository of all Hyatt learning resources
|
9
|
Leminar
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Industrial
|
Strong CSR programs
and community involvement.
Culture audit
highlights:
·
Inspiring community
service
·
Strong CSR programs
Leminar implements best
people practices and has built a culture in which employees are valued for
their contribution. Testament to this is the long association of employees
with Leminar and their growth within the organization. Leminar conducts an “Employee
Satisfaction Survey” which allows employees to share their views and
innovative ideas.
Leminar acts ethically
towards employees by supporting them in their own life. For example one of
the employees came back from his wedding leave to find that his house was
taken by another tenant, Leminar provided him with a suitable house until he
found another.
Leminar has a concept
of festival leaves which employees can take according to their needs &
culture. Leminar also celebrates and organizes events for women’s day, breast
cancer awareness and Ramadan.
Women are part of its
reward and recognition program. Employees get the same treat irrespective of
gender, age, nationality or religion. Everyone is treated fairly and
recognized by their contribution to the organization.
Leminar pays good
attention to work life balance, employees’ lifestyle, and it celebrates
cultural & children’s day where kids participate and perform anything
they like. Leminar encourages fun among employees by organizing events like
and Annual Picnic, Sports Day, an Annual Party, Marathons, Children’s Day. Big
wins, like the MEP Award & Climate Control Award are also celebrated by
the company.
|
10
|
Fun City
|
Retail
|
The core competencies
needed for any Fun
City employee –Fun
Citizen, is to have a high degree of creative enthusiasm, service excellence,
a smiling face and adaptability. To this end it has created an initiative
called SPARK which stands for Spontaneity, Passion, Attention, Result, and
Kindness. This process identifies the competencies & traits that Fun City
looks for in candidates. A truly unique approach to interviewing and hiring.
|
11
|
EMC2
|
Technology
|
EMC works hard to
provide a caring culture, going beyond what is required. For example,
it grants paternity leave, marriage leave, compassionate leave, even though
it is not required to do so by labor law. And it grants public holidays in
excess of government announcements.
|
12
|
WSP
|
Professional Services/Consulting
Engineering
|
With over 30% year on
year growth over the past 3 years, it is critical for WSP to invest in
maintaining a culture that is open, honest, welcoming and inspiring, to
ensure it’s a company that employees feel proud to be part of.
WSP hosts a networking
event, which provided an opportunity for WSP colleagues to inspire and
network with likeminded professionals in the industry, as well as share
industry knowledge and the success of the prestigious Burj Khalifa Base Jump
project.
WSP has HR NEWS – this
is a newsletter to update employees on initiatives related to its people and
celebrate their personal contribution to the business.
In WSP the process of
listening to employees and caring about them is the main key to success. Employees,
during their working hours, can feel free and enjoy their presence.
|
13
|
Apparel Group
|
Retail/Clothing/textile/food ware
|
The Apparel Group is a
global fashion and lifestyle brand conglomerate. It personally engages with
employees face-to-face on greater frequency through various meetings such as
Strategy Meets, Management Review Meetings (MRM) and other regular meetings.
At Apparel Group
feedback is given by an Employees Satisfaction Survey (ESS), Weekly/Monthly
Review Meeting, as well as feedback on emails.
Innovation is
encouraged through “Bright Idea” a process through which employees can submit
their ideas on process improvements via email, a designated Bright Idea drop
box, or Suggestion Box Tab of Employee Self Service Menu in Amanat-HRMS.
Apparel Group provides employee discounts on all brands for their personal
purchases. The company has its own transport fleet which provides free
transport services to all employees located in all Emirates. The company also
provides subsidized products and free beverages such as coffee and tea. Aside
from the Annual Vacation Leave, Apparel Group provides Compensatory Off to
those who have worked during their weekly off days, weekends, or holidays.
The company also allows the employee to take an off day during special
occasions like birthdays and holidays.
|
14
|
FedEx Express
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Transportation
|
FedEx’s P-S-P or
“people-service-profit” philosophy guides all of its efforts. To thank
employees who exemplify PSP, it uses the Purple Promise Award (PPA) which
recognizes a team member who goes beyond the typical expectations for his or
her job to ensure the customer’s needs are met. Sometimes the individual’s
effort requires the assistance of coworkers. In such cases, more than one
employee may receive a Purple Promise Award for the same endeavour.
|
15
|
MasterCard
|
Information Technology
|
MasterCard have a
“HEART” award programme whereby any employee can nominate another employee at
any time to receive an award for having demonstrated one of its corporate
values (Agility, Partnership, Innovation, Trust). Winners receive a
certificate and small value cash award of up to $500.
MasterCard places
strong emphasis on the importance of women in the workplace, as this helps
grow its business. MasterCard wants to be viewed as a fantastic place for
Women in Technology to work, and has a dedicated Women’s Leadership Network
to drive the role of women in the business and the promotion of women in the
technology sector.
|
The ‘Most Distinguished SMEs to Work For in the UAE’ are:
|
||
Rank
|
Company Name
|
What makes them great
|
1
|
biz-group
|
biz-group’s trust
level is extraordinarily high. This is a reflection of its sound and
people-centered workplace practices. biz-group scores high in all practice
areas but it excels in hiring, inspiring, welcoming, and thanking.
Culture audit
highlights:
·
Core values
·
Culture fit in hiring
process
·
Shout-outs
·
Brag books
·
“best thinking” award
·
biz-culture manifesto
·
Dreams book and dreams
room
·
“aha” trophy
·
Peron and team of the
year awards
·
10% profit sharing
·
Welcome gifts and
cards
·
New hire buddy
|
2
|
DABO & CO
|
Strong practices
related to thanking, celebrating, caring and sharing (community).
Culture audit
highlights:
·
Hires for attitude
·
Asks questions around
brand values
·
Welcoming: HR,
integration, introduction, directors (founders), social outing
·
Monthly internal
awards – peer-to-peer
·
Annual awards – last
year’s party was Hollywood-themed
·
Discretionary bonuses
·
Annual bonuses
·
Social events –
personal milestones, “DABO Days”
·
Weekly company-wide
meeting (each week has a different theme)
·
6-month performance
reviews
·
Sponsored trainings
and education – sponsored one employee’s three-year Master’s program
·
E-learning program
·
Both Muslim &
Christian holidays off
·
Caring in times of
need is VERY strong
·
Corporate Social
Responsibility – Dubai
Cares
|
3
|
Abu Dhabi Finance
|
Abu Dhabi Finance’s
workplace culture is a clear reflection of its corporate values. Management
make sure they meet the highest level of credibility through an open and
transparent communication with all employees at all levels. Trust is key in
all relationships in Abu Dhabi Finance and it is being well nurtured through
the company’s different people policies and practices.
|
4
|
Eton Institute
|
Strong on inspiring
employees. Integration of core values.
Culture audit
highlights:
·
3-phase hiring process
·
Motivational 5 minutes
based on one of the core values during each meeting
·
Weekly 30-minute
stand-up meetings to share achievements
·
Quarterly “Spirit of
Eton” award
·
Corporate Social
Responsibility – Eton Sponsorship Programme
|
5
|
Advanced Watertek
|
Advanced Watertek
offers an open and transparent culture where employees have access to
information about the business and get feedback about the outcomes of their
efforts. Employees are encouraged to participate in the company’s
projects, activities and programs and enjoy a high level of autonomy and
responsibility in their day-to-day work. Significant occasions such as
projects awarded or completed, HSE milestones and employee achievements are
celebrated in addition to regular events such as sports days, Iftar parties
and Christmas parties engendering a fun and friendly atmosphere within the
company.
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