Friday, January 3, 2014

The Daily Drucker: January 3 - Management is Indispensable

"Whoever makes two blades of grass grow where only one grew before deserves better of mankind than any speculative philosopher or metaphysical system builder."

Management will remain a basic and dominant institution perhaps as long as Western civilization itself survives.  For management is not only grounded in the nature of the modern industrial system and in the needs of modern business enterprise, to which an industrial system must entrust its productive resources, both human and material.  Management also expresses the basic beliefs of modern Western society.  It expresses the belief in the possibility of controlling man's livelihood through the systematic organization of economic resources.  It expresses the belief that economic change can be made in the most powerful engine for the human betterment and social justice - that, as Jonathan Swift first overstated it three hundred years ago, whoever makes tow blades of grass grow where only one grew before deserves better of man kind than any speculative philosopher or metaphysical system builder.
     Management - which is the organic of society specifically charged with making resources productive, that is, with the responsibility for organized economic advance - therefore reflects the basic spirit of the modern age.  It is, in fact, indispensable, and this explains why, once begotten it grew so fast and with so little opposition.

ACTION POINT: Come up with a few examples of why management, its competence, its integrity, and its performance, is so decisive to the free world.

Quoted from The Daily Drucker, January 3 , Page 5






Thursday, January 2, 2014

The Daily Drucker: January 2 - Identifying the Future

January 2 - Identifying the Future

The important thing is to identify the "future that has already happened."

Futurists always measure their batting average by counting how many things they have predicted that have come true.  They never count how many important things come true that they did not predict.  everything a forecaster predicts may come to pass.  Yet, he may not have seen the most meaningful of the emergent realities or, worse still, may not have paid attention to them.  There is no way to avoid the irrelevancy in forecasting, for the important and distinctive are always the result of change in values, perception and goals, that is, in things that one can divine but not forecast.
     But the most important work of the executive is to identify the changes that have already happened. The important challenge in society, economics, politics is to exploit the changes that have already occurred and to use them as opportunities.  The important thing is to identify the "future that has already happened" - and to develop a methodology for perceiving and analyzing these changes.  A good deal of this methodology is incorporated in my 1985 book Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which shows how one systematically looks to the changes in society, in demographics, in meaning, in science and technology, as opportunities to make the future.

ACTION POINT: Identify the major trends in your market that have already appeared.  Write a page on their likely longevity and the impact on your life and organization.

Quoted from The Daily Drucker, January 2 , Page 4


The Daily Drucker: January 1 - "Integrity in Leadership"

 January 1 - Integrity in Leadership

"The spirit of an organization is created from the top"

The proof of the sincerity and seriousness of a management is uncompromising emphasis on integrity of character.  This, above all, has to be symbolized in the management's "people" decisions.  For it is the character through which leadership is exercised; it is the character that sets the example and is imitated. Character is not something one can fool people about.  The people with whom a person works, and especially subordinates, know in a few weeks whether he or she has integrity or not.  They may forgive a person for a great deal: incompetence, ignorance, insecurity. or bad manners.  But they will not forgive a lack of integrity in that person.  Nor will they forgive higher management for choosing him.

This is particularly true of the people at the head of an enterprise.  For the spirit of the organization is created from the top.  If an organization is great of spirit, it is because the spirit of its top people are great.  If it decays, it does so because the top rots; as the proverb has it. "Trees die from the top."
No one should ever be appointed to a senior position unless top management is willing to have his or her character serve as the model for subordinates.

ACTION POINT: Evaluate the character of the CEO and top management when considering a job offer.  Align yourself with people who have integrity.

- Quoted from The Daily Drucker, January , Page 3

Welkam 2014: "The Daily Drucker"

Welkam 2014. 

We have talked about it for long enough and now finally it is here.  Past years have been great practice to get all those ambitions and resolutions in place and we all know our own ratio of success in self management, indeed no need to point fingers...love thyself.

For the past 15 years, I have enjoyed a creative business indulgence in seeking to manifest "some positive & sustainable structural change for farmers in the agribusiness sector", that would lead to a "measurable improvement in the livelihood of farmers and growers" in their respective economy.

In this, it was indeed a pleasure in 2013, to work with all my colleagues launching the world first "agri-superannuation accounts for smallholder growers and farmers" in Vanuatu.  Although still in the pilot phase for 100 coconut farmers it represents an exciting potential for change benefiting growers, private sector and government in Vanuatu and I am very grateful to be part of this initiative.

I have also learnt that good structure can serve a creative mind well, especially in management. In 2012, The Daily Drucker served just this purpose.  Every morning my business mentor and myself discussed "366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done" and we continue to refer back to these insights regularly as we build our "farm-gate services portfolio for growers" in Vanuatu.

So in 2014 I am setting a combined goal, to get closer to making this blog a "Daily" and to share with you the remarkable insights of Peter F Drucker.  Not much is available on the net on his daily insights and so I hope it will serve others as well.  My minimum practice will be to write out the page for the day, a study technique that serve me well in the past. 

I am already a step behind, but the Insight for January 1 is the best and most crucial part for me to start: "Integrity in Leadership" - The spirit of an organization is created from the top"

If you are into management theory and practice...enjoy...if you are into Drucker...my pleasure..."as every human interaction is a management outcome"...  Looking forward to see x/366 for 2014

Bon chance...

Kindest

abl


Thursday, September 12, 2013

Vanuatu’s First Organic Copra Meal Export



MEDIA RELEASE
12 September 2013 – For immediate release

Vanuatu’s First Organic Copra Meal Export

Vanuatu producers have achieved another milestone with the first ever export of certified organic copra meal to Australia taking place in August. 

Coconut Oil Production Santo Ltd (COPSL) sourced the organic copra from the South Santo SANMA Community Coconuts smallholder growers group and from the PRV plantations on Malekula.

Samuel Tiwok, Export Manager for COPSL says ‘Wahoo we are the best Organic Copra meal Producer in the Pacific, “GO COPSL GO”’. 

Organic copra meal is a much sought-after product in Australia, a valued feed supplement for organic beef farmers who are currently experiencing drought conditions and as a high-protein additive for organic poultry and pig feed rations.

Andrew Youngberry of organic animal feed company Country Heritage Feeds, Queensland Australia, says ‘Procurement of the first of Vanuatu’s organic copra meal has allowed a wider product offering to their client base particularly with USDA certified dry season supplements’. 

Andrew has recently been in Vanuatu to visit COPSL’s production facilities and meet with some of the coconut growers from South Santo.  Andrew said that it was an incredible pleasure to meet with those involved in the project and his company has an ongoing commitment to exporting the certified organic copra meal and he fundamentally supports the agriculturally based community project.

World Vision (supported by the New Zealand Aid program) have been assisting the South Santo communities to achieve organic certification and coordinate collective selling as part of the SANMA Community Economic Development (SCED) project, which has the goal of increasing agriculture-based community income by 20% by 2016.

Mackenzie Vagaha, Project Coordinator for World Vision says ‘The farmers of South Santo are inspired by their product being a valuable source of food for Australian cattle farmers.  The future is bright for SANMA Community Coconuts value added export products’. 

The shipment was facilitated by African Pacific who, as part of the Vanuatu Sustainable Agri-Business Initiative, have been working in partnership with all stakeholders to achieve organic certification, secure markets, and boost growers’ livelihoods from one of the country’s staple commodities.

Recently appointed board members of the Vanuatu Commodities Marketing Board (VCMB) met with representatives of the parties involved to discuss quality and pricing issues, and expressed their support for the work being done to directly connect producers with the customer.

The participants are grateful for the support of all stakeholders – government, NGO and private sector – in supporting farmer-focused initiatives to boost livelihoods of coconut producers in Vanuatu, and look forward to many more exports in coming months. 

Growers interested in organic certification are encouraged to contact Norah Rihai at the Vanuatu Agriculture College on 537 4853 for information and support.


PHOTOS:

Photo 1 - Vanuatu’s first export of organic copra meal being unloaded from the container in Brisbane, Australia.

Photo 2 – Andrew Youngberry of Australia’s Country Heritage Feeds meets Elder Marc from the Namoru community in South Santo, with Emile Selmen and Jane Rutledge of World Vision Vanuatu.

Photo 3 – Ian Wilson, First Political Advisor to the Prime Minister and Chairman of VCMB; Andreas Lombardozzi, African Pacific; Andrew Youngberry, Country Heritage Feeds; Bernie Glaser, Chairman of COPSL; Jeffrey Homal, COPSL; and Basil Hopkins, Advisor to the Minister of Trade and Vice Chairman of VCMB met in Santo to discuss organic copra meal exports.

Media Contacts:
Vanuatu
·         Wayne Webb, COPSL: +678 7755121; waynew@copsl.com.au
Australia
·         Bernie Glaser, COPSL: +61 411 618 222; bernieg@glaser.com.au
·         Andreas Lombardozzi: +61 412 611 877; andreas@africanpacific.com

//END


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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Vanuatu: COPSL Announce Price Premium for Organic Copra



MEDIA RELEASE
16th April 2013 – For immediate release

Vanuatu: COPSL Announce Price Premium for Organic Copra


Coconut Oil Production Santo Ltd (COPSL) has announced a price premium of up to 5000 vatu per metric tonne of high-quality certified organic copra.

This is the first time in Vanuatu’s long-standing history of copra production that a price premium for organic product has been offered.

Pilot production of organic crude coconut oil and organic copra meal will soon take place, destined for EU and Australian markets respectively.

Current organic copra suppliers are David Russet’s PRV Norsup and Bushman’s Bay plantations and the South Santo-based SANMA Community Coconuts group, supported by World Vision Vanuatu.

David Russet says ‘This is another milestone for Vanuatu and one of its oldest commodities; successive governments should promote the re-plantation of coconut trees as this commodity will remain one of the major ones for many years to come’. 

Mackenzie Vagaha of World Vision, working with the SANMA communities, says ‘Farmers continue to improve the output capacity and quality of copra by reviewing processes to improve efficiency.   Price advantage for farmers in this difficult world market continues to reinforce the organic message’. 

As part of the Vanuatu Sustainable Agri-Business Initiative, COPSL, PRV and the SANMA Communities applied for organic certification in 2012 and have recently received international organic status through Australian Certified Organic.

The organic certification process has been strongly supported by the Vanuatu Agriculture College, with staff providing training on Internal Control Systems and organic procedures.

Organic copra supply is anticipated to be around 1250 mt in 2013, which could increase earnings to copra producers by as much as 6 250 000 vatu per annum.

Pilot exports to EU and Australia will give a good indication of the future potential for organic coconut oil and copra meal. 

Bernie Glaser, Chairman of COPSL, says ‘Export earnings for Vanuatu could potentially increase by up to 13 500 000 vatu through this organic initiative’. 

Success with the pilot could lead to a significant increase in demand for organic copra and a subsequent expansion of organic certification across the islands of Vanuatu. 

Wayne Webb, Director of COPSL, says ‘we invite farmers from all islands to become certified in order to meet this demand, and encourage interested growers to contact VAC for support and information on organics’. 

Potential also exists for integrated organic coconut and cattle production with prospective exports of organic beef to Australia, the Middle East and Asia. 

The project is grateful for the support of all stakeholders, especially the current Prime Minister’s Office, in supporting farmer-focused initiatives to boost livelihoods of coconut producers in Vanuatu. 

Growers interested in organic certification are invited to contact Norah Rihai at the Vanuatu Agriculture College on 775 8542 for information and support.
 

Media Contacts:
Vanuatu
·         Wayne Webb, COPSL: +678 7755121; waynew@copsl.com.au
·         Norah Rihai, Vanuatu Agriculture College: +678 775 8542; nrhbulu@gmail.com
Australia
·         Bernie Glaser, COPSL: +61 (0)411 618 222; bernieg@glaser.com.au
·         Andreas Lombardozzi: +61 412 611 877; andreas@africanpacific.com