Creating “Wow” Selling Strategies through Sun Tzu’s The Art of War

Creating “Wow” Selling Strategies through Sun Tzu’s The Art of War

The English term that focuses on war is something of a mistranslation. The accurate translation is strategy. This strategy focuses on the strategy “winning without conflict” by espousing unique position in the competitive environment to discover opportunities while turning your opponents’ apparent strengths against them.

Now, businesspeople refer to The Art of War as the guidance for better decision and strategic marketing tools. The principle solidifies vague idea of a strategy into a clear, well-defined set of principle. By understand the principle of Sun Tzu, you will be intrigued by the lessons that emerge when the strategy applied to make sales.

According to Sun Tzu, think competitively is a better strategy rather than having a solid sales process. One of the success key: you present decision-makers with the best possible alternatives for investing their money. As a successful sales manager, you must think strategically in various prospective such as consumer behavior, strategic marketing, product life cycles and others. Hence, you will be able to foreseen and monitor the sales progress effectively.
Sun Tzu stated, the element to success is selecting the right battleground. In marketing, it is interpreted as sales adaptation where we have to highlight on right issues in the buying process. As a superstar salesperson, you can start by understanding your customers need rather than keep on pushing your products. If you focus on the product itself, you would end up like prescribing medicine to a patient without asking what their problems are.

The third principle of Sun Zhu is innovation and differentiation. In Sun Tzu’s terms, you must always adapt to the changes that take place on the field of battle. Innovation and differentiation are the better strategy to sustain and grow in the dynamic marketplace. Digitalization from revolutionary technology, globalization, deregulation from reshaping the economy, privatization creates the needs of innovation.

Based on Sun Tzu school of thought, you cannot success through your own action alone. Sun Tzu emphasizes that opportunity is always abundant; since every problem creates opportunity, we must identify and act fast. Strategic thinking on gaps derives from risk and crisis leads to opportunity is the major key of success. I had experience to conduct consultancy for an educational institution. I identified the opportunity to focus on training and program in the area of nutrition and food technology during the food poisoning crisis in China. This strategy enables the organisation win through customization.

The last principle of Sun Tzu focuses on knowledge and information of a person. According to Sun Tzu, victory goes to the person who is the most knowledgeable. Besides, he added, there is no substitute for knowledge. Hence, understanding and capturing all information about the products and your competitors.

The universal utility of Sun Tzu’s principles means that you can apply it in all scenarios. When exploring Sun Tzu The Art of War, you will develop more insight into Sun Tzu’s methods and apply to your own situation.

Aloe Vera: A Microscopic Review

Aloe Vera: A Microscopic Review
By Dr Leow Chee Seng
Senior Consultant of Yale Consultancy Sdn Bhd
Fellow of British Institute of Homeopathy
Homeopathy Consultant

The short thorny green plants attracted my attention! This is my first experience to visit an
Aloe Vera field which was located at Johor Bahru. Sincerely appreciate my brother Kar
Leong for exposing me to a wonderful experience in the field. This experience inspires me to
further research on the little plants: Aloe Vera.

Most botanists agree, and historical evidence suggests, that the Aloe Vera plant originated in
the warm, dry climates of Africa. The very first record of the Aloe Vera plant in history was
written by Dioscorides, a famous Greek physician from the first century AD. He wrote that
Aloe Vera had the power of “inducing sleep and of thickening the body…it helps loosen the
belly and cleanses the stomach when drunk with warm milk or cold water.” By the 2nd
century AD, Aloe Vera had become indispensible to Roman physicians - the most notable of
which was Galen, the personal physician of the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Galen
was said to have drawn his knowledge from the writings of Aristotle and Hippocrates, who
had gotten their knowledge of Aloe Vera from the Indian and Egyptian “medical writers”. in
the East, Chinese physicians were already writing about how Aloe Vera helped treat sinusitis,
skin disorders, and internal problems such as convulsions in children and worm fever.
The aloe vera plants is characterized by long, hard, sword-shaped, fleshy, green leaves, with
sharp point and an array of barbed spikes on each leaf edge. Each plant can have between
twenty and thirty leaves and these leaves grow a rosette pattern straight out the ground. When
the plant blooms, its bright flowers appear on a central leafless stem high above the gelbearing.
In fact, the fresh leaf gel and latex are used for many purposes. Aloe latex is the
sticky residue left over after the liquid from cut aloe leaves has evaporated.
According to Ms Jessie Ng, of director of the aloe vera field, “Aloe vera is a veritable
treasure chest of nutritional ingredients.” I read a review by Smith and Stenhaus (1851), aloin
or anthraquinone glycosides was the principle ingredient responsible for aloe’s laxative
effects, an ever increasing number of biologically active compounds have been identified. To
date, research has proved aloe vera contain a unique spectrum of micronutrients and the
natural chemical constituents of aloe vera can be catagorised in the following main area:
• Amino acids
• Anthraquinones
• Enzymes
• Lignin
• Mono and polysaccharides
• Salicylic acdis
• Saponins
• Sterols
• Vitamins

Modern research has proven aloe vera to be beneficial for many conditions. It has been used
effectively for treatment radiation burns, skin disorders, wounds, sunburn and dermatitis.
Besides, clinical trial has proven aloe vera also help with inflammation and ulcers. Test tube
studies suggested polysaccharides, such as acemannon, help promote skin healing by anti
inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immune-stimulating actions. Aloe’s effects on the skin may
also be enhanced by its high concentration of amino acids, as well as vitamin E, vitamin C,
zinc and essential fatty acids.

Modern research found that, when applied externally, aloe vera can help to speed healing and
restore skin tissue. It also aids in healing when used externally in cases of wounds, frostbite
and burns. The healing of burns may be due to the moisturizing effect of aloe. It is easily
absorbed into the skin preventing the air from drying the damaged skin. Older case studies
reported that aloe gel applied topically could help heal radiation burns, and a small clinical
trial found it more effective than a topical petroleum jelly in treating burns. However, a large,
modern, placebo-controlled trial did not find aloe effective for treating minor burns.
In clinical, stabilized aloe gel is applied to the affected area of skin three to five times per day.
Besides, treatment of more serious burns should only be done under the supervision of a
healthcare professional. For intestine use of aloe gel, two tablespoons (30ml should be taken
three times per day) for patient with inflammatory bowel condition such as Crohn’s disease
and ulcerative colitis. Remember, the latex form of aloe should not be used by anyone with
inflammatory intestinal disease including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or appendicitis.
It is known to help increase movement in the intestine, relieve constipation, promote
menstruation and aid in digestion. Anthraquinone glycosides are split by the normal bacteria
in the large intestines to form other molecules (aglycones), which exert the laxative action.
Since aloe is such a powerful laxative, other plant laxatives such as senna or cascara are often
recommended. For constipation, a single 50 – 200 mg capsule of aloe latex can be taken each
day for a maximum of ten days. However, for people with constipation, aloe latex should not
be used for more than ten consecutive days as it may lead to dependency and fluid loss.
Extensive fluid loss may lead to depletion of important electrolytes in the body such as
potassium.

On top of that, aloe vera has been found to help in preventing the formation of kidney stones
and to help reduce the size of the stones. It can help clean, soothe and relieve pain on contact.
It rapidly penetrates through all three layers of the skin to promote healing. It contains
salicylic acid and magnesium which work together to produce as aspirin-like analgesic effect.
Two small controlled human trials have found that aloe, either alone or in combination with
the oral hypoglycemic drug, glibenclamide, effectively lowers blood sugar in people with
type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes. In clinical trials, it is proven that the used of one tea
tablespoon (15ml) of aloe juice, twice daily. Treatment of diabetes with aloe should only be
done under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional. Okyar A, et. al. (2001)
reported in Journal of Phytother Res, A. vera leaf pulp and gel extracts were ineffective on
lowering the blood sugar level of ND rats. A. vera leaf pulp extract showed hypoglycaemic
activity on IDDM and NIDDM rats, the effectiveness being enhanced for type II diabetes in
comparison with glibenclamide. On the contrary, A. vera leaf gel extract showed
hyperglycaemic activity on NIDDM rats. It may therefore be concluded that the pulps of
Aloe vera leaves devoid of the gel could be useful in the treatment of non-insulin dependent
diabetes mellitus.

Aloe vera also been used as a treatment for vital diseases such as AIDS and may help prevent
the virus from moving from one cell to the other. According to Dr. Pulse's published report in
the Journal of Advancement in Medicine: "No adverse effects attributable to the essential
fatty acid capsules where observed nor any side effects of the nutritional supplementation
powder nor of the aloe vera juice. Most patients who were symptomatic reported that within
three to five days their energy levels improved, fever disappeared, night sweats stopped,
cough decreased or stopped altogether, shortness of breath decreased, lymph nodes decreased
in size, diarrhea stopped, strength improved, and the only measurable side effect of this
particular study was weight gain, which is a desirable effect.”

Aloe Vera therefore has a complimentary role to play in the management of various
conditions. It is very important however that people should always seek the advice of their
medical professional when the diagnosis is in doubt or where a condition does not
improve. Self diagnosis can be extremely dangerous as many serious conditions can mimic
more simple ones.

Tipping the Balance Against Suicide

Tipping the Balance Against Suicide
By Dr Leow Chee Seng
Senior Consultant of Yale Consultancy Sdn Bhd
Fellow of British Institute of Homeopathy
Certified Stress Management Consultant, USA

During attending lecture by Dr Maznah Baba, from University Putra Malaysia, I was exposed to various concept of mental health. According to Would Health Organisation (WHO), mental health refers to state of well-being which release his own ability and cope with normal stressors of life; can work productivity fruitfully and able to make contribution to the community. In fact, the definition is ambiguous and it depends on which angle you are interpreting it. It is impossible to know for sure if a person who seems sad or who has changed for the worse is at a real risk for suicide. Nobody can ever predict how another person will react to the more troubling or difficult things in life. Different people handle different situations in different ways - this is a fact of life no matter how old you become. But there are some clear warning signs that a friend may be in trouble and that suicide may be something they are considering.

Since suicidal wishes are a prevalent and potentially lethal problem in depressed patients, it is important for the therapies to understand why the patient is considering such a drastic action. The therapist will then be in a better position to select appropriate and effective techniques to deal with the particular problem. However, no anti-suicidal strategy is of any use unless the therapist is able to detect and assess the degree of suicidal intentionality.

Common Suicide Risk Indicators
Clues to suicide plans may be detected in overt behaviours such as secretiveness, a sudden decision to make a will, or verbal statements. A suicidal individual may say, for example, “I don’t want to go on living” or “I want to end it all.” Other statement suggestive of suicidal intent include, “I’m not going to put up with it anymore,”, “I’m a burden on anyone,” “Things will never get better,” and “My intent is indirect and may be pieced together only in retrospect. For example, I have experienced getting statement, “I guess I won’t be seeing you again” or “I want to thank you for trying so hard to help me.” For a depressed patient leaving on a weekend pass from a hospital. Or on retiring for the night, the patient may say “goodbye” instead of “goodnight”. Researchers have noted that individual tend towards suicide more than others. The characteristics associated with such at-risk adolescents include the following:

A previous suicide attempt
Suicidal gestures (cutting off one’s hair, self-inflicted cigarette burns, other abuse of self)
A tendency to be socially isolated (having no friends or only one friend)
A record of school failure or truancy
A broken home or a broken relationship with a significant other (family member, boy/girlfriend)
Talk of suicide, either one’s own or that of others
A close friend or relative who was a suicide victim
Not living at home
Preoccupation with death or dying
A recent significant loss or the anniversary of one
Sudden disruptive or violent behaviours
Being more withdrawn or uncommunicative and isolated from other than usual

The most common external causes - or more accurately, external catalysts - of suicidal behavior are bullying, peer pressure/incidents, family crisis’s and health problems. Usually these are situational in nature and have an escalating history that has led the individual to feel as if they have no other way out. In their mind the situation has reached a breaking point and they see no other way out except death, or the threat of death. When external forces become unbearable enough for a person to contemplate suicide depression of some sort is always involved. The depression causes the individual to make irrational decisions based on unstable emotions.
This type of suicidal tendency is often accompanied by “after-death” fantasies in which the now dead individual, after taking their own life, gets to view the reactions and grief of those they left behind. In these fantasies the people that have caused the psychological pain feel punished by the suicide and in their grieving they demonstrate great remorse for having driven the person to take their own life. In this type of suicide (or suicide attempt) the individual is attempting to take back control in a situation that they feel is totally outside of their control. In killing themselves they are taking back control and getting in the last word and if the real life situation has left the individual feeling totally helpless the idea of going out in control and teaching other people a lesson in the process can be strangely appealing.

Suicidal urges that are brought on by external circumstances unwanted pregnancy without a support system, abuse in the family, abuse in a relationship, sexual assault, sexual harassment, bullying, peer rejection, and romantic rejection. The individual is intrigued by the fantasy that they would be getting back at somebody who they feel has hurt them and that this somebody will see the error of their ways and feel tremendous guilt, they are often fleeting in nature and happen in a moment of extreme emotional stress, they are more likely to fail, be repeated and escalate in severity with each repeated attempt. Under these circumstances the suicide attempts are often dismissed as cries for attention, which can be a fatal mistake on the part of the people close to the suicidal individual. Since the root cause here is a deep and wounding sense of helplessness being ignored or having others dismiss the attempts as attention seeking can lead to the person successfully taking their own life. Ironically when the external causes are addressed and dealt with and the person’s sense of helplessness is overcome the suicidal urges all but disappear.

Internal causes of suicidal behavior are much more complex and harder for the average person to see than external causes. The most common internal causes of suicide or suicidal behavior are clinical depression, psychiatric disorders or chemical imbalances. Essentially all suicide attempts come down to something inside the suicidal person but those without external catalysts are often biological in nature. Severe depression, which is believed to be caused by a combination of external factors and internal chemistry, is one thing that almost every suicide or suicide attempt has in common, how that depression came to be is the only difference. Some people suffer from depression because of chemical imbalances and to outsiders their lives seem great, or at the very least average, with nothing outstanding that would indicate a reason to want to die.

Practical Tips on Balancing against suicide

It is important for friends and therapist to “play for time” until the dangerous period for suicide has passed. The strategy used to involve patient to get himself involved in the process of therapy that he decides to :stick it out” until he sees where the therapy is going. This can be done by stimulating interest in his therapeutic approach. On top on it, the therapist should maintain continuity between sessions.

Involvement of patients on the treatment plan helps to treat the decision to commit suicide as the outcome of the struggle between the patient’s wishes to live versus his wishes to die. As in a declaration of war, an irrevocable decision may be made on the basis of a margin of a single vote, as it were. Initially, therefore, the therapist’s efforts should be directed towards shifting the votes in favour of living.

Once the patient has agreed to weigh the pros and cons of suicide, the therapist would elicit “Reason for Living” and “Reason for dying.” Although patient might forget reason for living, we can guide them by asking them to think of happy moment. The next step can be done by technical aid by drawing two columns on a sheet of paper. The therapist and patent can then list reasons in favour of living that were valid in the past. The therapist proceeds to ascertain which of the “past” reasons for living are valid in the present or at the least might be valid in the future. It is interesting to note that the suicidal patient has often nullified these positive factors in his life that he has forgotten them; ignore them or discounted their value.

The therapist should also recognize that it may be quite painful for the patient to reconsider his decision to kill himself. The patient may have undergone enormous turmoil before arriving at his decision to terminate his suffering via suicide, and reopening the question may mean to him that he will have to go through another period of turmoil and prolong his plan.

Summary

When dealing with depression, hopelessness, and fear, it is difficult to know where the bad feelings end and real risk begins. If your friend exhibits two or more of these warning signs in a close period of time it is best that you try to help. This does not mean you should take the weight of their world upon your shoulders, but it does mean you should alert other people to the possible risk. Go to your other friends, your at-risk friend's family, or a trusted teacher or counsellor. Just like your friend does not have to go through a difficult time alone, you do not need to try to save your friend on your own. If you fear your friend may attempt suicide, you should get some outside help and guidance from people who are best able to get your friend the help he/she really needs.

Unbeatable Silent Killer within You “Stress” - Don’t Just Cope With It, Beat It.

Dr Leow Chee Seng
Certified Stress Consultant Professional (US)
Fellow of British Institute of Homeopathy (UK)

If you were to browse through any newspapers or magazines prior to 1970, you would be hard-pressed to find the word stress in text or the headline. The stress phenomenon becomes an epidemic that the word “stress” now is used as commonly as the term “health” and “medicine”. Current estimation shows that 70 and 80 percents of all visits to physicians are for stress related disorders which the most notably chronic diseases such as coronary heart-disease and hypertension. Besides, common cold, migraine, warts, female infertility, ulcers and insomnia is directly associated to stress because stress affects our immune system.

Unfortunately, not many people understand the concept of stress. Most of us have wrong concept towards stress. We assume all stress are bad for us. In fact, there are three types of stress, eustress, neustress and distress. Eustress is good stress that motivates us to complete a task or work. Getting married might be an example of eustress; meeting our prime minister to get an award may also be a type of eustress. I would relate eustress situation with enjoyable and not threatening. Neustress is a type of stimuli that does not have consequences effect where it is not catagorised as good or bad. News of an earthquake in China might fall into this category especially who are not staying in that area. Turning to third type of stress distress, is considered as bad and often is abbreviated as stress.

In fact, we are facing with stress each day, acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is quite intense and disappears quickly. Chronic stress is not so intense but prolong for a long period of time. Let’s share with you one example. I was using cell phone to send messages (SMS) to my brother, there was a police car pulled up behind me and flashed blue lights. My heart was racing, palms were sweating. In fact, they were trying to tell me my tire was flat. After that, my heart was calm, palms dried and started to sing the song on the radio. The threat is over. The intensity of the acute stress may seem cataclysmic, but it is just short period of time. Chronic stressors are not so intense but unbearably long. For example, being stuck with the “team mates from hell,” a credit card bills that seems to grow despite monthly payment, maintaining a relationship with wife, husband that seems bad to stay in but worse to leave.

Learning to enjoy challenge of stress will take practice. It can be fun, as you have the ability to cope and enjoy life. In fact, stress management is very much like learning to ride a bicycle. At first you need training wheels or someone to guide you. Later, after practice, you are able to take the training hells off and ride the bicycle alone. However, remember that stress management training is not a cure-all. Instead, it is a change in lifestyle and a new way of viewing the world. In this article, I will share with you the basic concept of stress management including body awareness, effective breathing techniques, visualization, and rational emotive behavior therapy. In fact, there are many other methods to control stress like thought stopping, meditation, worry control, panic attacks, stress inoculation techniques, learned optimism and others. In fact, during clinical session and training, I would use combination of methods instead of one depending on the severity, personality and behavior of the person.

Body awareness is the first step toward acknowledging and reducing stress. The ability to recognize how your body reacts to the stressors in our can be a powerful skill. Most of us more aware of weather, time of day, bank balance, children education than they are of the tension in their own bodies or their personal stress response. Your body registers stress long before the conscious mind does. In this session, I recommend them to do body inventory, stress awareness diary and record of general tension. In body inventory, we will use body awareness method to identify areas of tension. The following steps to conduct body inventory. First, we have to focus on external world. For example, “I am aware of radio is on, fan is moving, dark brown sofa next to me and there are a lot of books on the table.” Then, shift to focus on your body and physical sensation which is known as internal world. “I can feel my bladder is full, eyes are tired and neck muscle is tensed”. Relate the internal and external environment. “I am aware the wind is blowing my hair”. Through this method, you would appreciate between inner and outer worlds. In this exercise, I would always encourage participant to conduct “body scanning” exercise. This exercise is rather simple. You just have to close your eyes. Starting with your roes and moving up body, then ask myself, where am I tense. When we have discovered a tense area, exaggerate it slightly so you can become aware of it. Then say to yourself, “I am tensing my leg muscle … I am hurting myself … I am creating tension in my body.” Turning to stress awareness diary, we would like participants to record time, stress event and symptoms during the event. Through this method, we will be able to identify and keep track on stress event.

Effective breathing techniques help to reduce stress. Breathing awareness and good breathing habits enhance your psychological and physical well-being. To practice it, you have to sit or lay down. Make sure the place is comfortable. Breathe in deeply into your abdomen. Let yourself pause before you exhale. You may count “One … Two… Three….. “ when you inhale and exhale. Notice your breathing gradually slowing, your body relaxing and you mind calming as you practice this breathing technique. In stress clinics, I always advice my patient to use alternative breathing especially for those who are suffering from tension or sinus headaches. This can be done through sitting in a comfortable place with a good posture. Then, place your index and second figure of your right hand on your forehead and close your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale slowly and soundlessly through your left nostril. After that, close your left nostril with your ring finger and simultaneously open you right nostril by removing your thumb. Exhale slowly and soundlessly through your right nostril. Close your right nostril with your thumb and open your left nostril. Exhale through your left nostril. Finally inhale through your left nostril and repeat the exercise. Try it out and you will get unbelievable result!

Besides, you can use the enormously powerful gift by our creator – visualization. Usually we will combine this technique with rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Several researches have been conducted among cancer patients through visualization. From the research, the researcher found that the imagination for exceed that of the will. Sometimes, it is difficult to let yourselves in a relaxed state, but you can imagine relaxation spreading through your body, and you can visualize yourself in a beautiful beach or a waterfall. In clinical psychology session, this technique is used for pain management among cancer patients. This method stimulates our subconscious mind and our body becomes more energetic. For example, I have a patient who has phobia towards smell of fish. Every time when he visits a wet market, he would bath and continue to wash his hands until sometimes he hurt his hands and. I would associate this behavior with obsessive-compulsive behavior. During psychotherapy session, I asked him to imagine that he visited a wet market. Then, encouraged him slowly and gradually to move to the fish stalls. He was so hesitate to move there. After a support and encouragement, he imaged to walk forward the stall. Then, I requested him to pick a fish. Subsequently, I explained to him the rationale not to be afraid of fish and the smell and I requested him to notice how he did that. Finally, he has to change his self-talk in their imagination.

Remember, you have a choice to stress or not to stress. It is good if you are able to detect and overcome the stress before this silent killer attacks you. Let’s create a stress free environment and build up authentic happiness within us.

What Doctor Wound Not Tell You About Anti Aging

Dr. Leow Chee Seng
Fellow of British Institute Homeopathy (UK)
Certified Stress Management Professional (US)
MMIM, MIMM, MIM-CPT, CAHRP

Since the dawn of time, mankind has searched for a mythological fountain of youth. Anti aging secrets are spoken of in the very earliest myths and legends. Pretty much every culture has myths about immortal heroes who found some sort of rejuvenating herb, device or potion that allow them to stay young forever – or at least for a very long time. For example, a Chinese legend described the emperor of Qing Dynasty, Shih Huang Ti who ordered his warriors to hunt for longevity potions for him but failed. In this universe, no one wants to die, and no one wants to grow old. It is no wonder that ideas about anti aging secrets are so widespread all over the world.

Sorting out the real anti aging secrets from all the myths, however, can be quite a task. For all we know, the secrets to anti aging could be well guarded so that they don't fall into the wrong hands. Who knows if somewhere, in an isolated village up in the mountains, a whole tribe of people have learned how to live for hundreds, or even thousands of years? If they knew how to do that, would they share the anti aging secret with the rest of us? Or would they keep their precious anti aging treatment to themselves?

I have visited several places in Mediterranean; I observed that, the life expectancy of the people there is higher than other countries. A qualitative research is conducted on their lifestyle and eating habits and I found that people who eat Mediterranean diets tend to live longer, healthier lives. It is not because they are necessarily wiser or smarter, but because they live in an area where certain foods grow, and have developed a specific lifestyle that contributes to longevity. Olive oil, grapes, a diet high in vegetables and fish, and many other aspects of the Mediterranean diet contribute to good health and long life.
When I was conducting a public seminar, a participant asked me how we could identify if a person has undergone degenerative process or getting old. The traditional designation for old age is 65 years old. Even a judge retires at the age of 65. (Constitutional Law, Article 125). In fact, many people are vigorous and active at 65. Some researchers refer aging in the area of biological age. Biological age refers to changes in the body that commonly occur as people age. For example, vision and hearing ability reduces as we age. Nowadays, we can observe that people biologically old at 40. Turning to psychological age, I would describe it as how a person would feel and at his emotional stage. For example, a 75-year-old who works, participates in different activities are considered as psychologically young.

As we age, hormonal levels diminish and our skin, muscles and bones begin to deteriorate. A good anti aging diet should stimulate hormone production and promote strength and flexibility. Many of the studies and research done lately about anti-aging and anti disease nutrition has focused on the nutrients known as antioxidants. Antioxidant helps to reverse the oxidation process or slow down the oxidation process to the cells. Scientists are beginning to understand the preventive qualities of antioxidants but the average person have not yet understand what antioxidants do or what they are.

Before further discussion on antioxidants, it is a good idea to expose the concept of aging. Aging starts when a person is born. An infant develops and matures into an adult. During human development, the aging process changes and decline in function that ultimately leads to death. There are several factors which lead to degeneration of cells including chemicals, radiation, environment, drugs and toxins, emotional stages, stress and other factors. In the area of histology, many cells die or undergo apoptosis due to the replacing old cells with new ones and eliminating excess cells. The cells die because they can only divide for a limited number of times. When a cell stops dividing, the cells enlarge and die. Hence, aging process starts.

The oxidation process contributes to aging. In a chemistry perspective, oxidation is a process where chemical releases or donate electrons to form cathions. Several researches have been conducted on oxygen gas as an oxidation agent. Oxygen gas releases by plants through photosynthesis and we need them for survival. However, oxygen gas produces by-product that is harmful to our health. Now, many clinical researches are conducted in order to overcome the effect of oxidation process to cells. These researches include methods to slow down oxidation process or eliminate oxidation process acts on the cells. For example, Dr. Musalmah Mazlan a lecturer from medical faculty, UKM and Associate Prof Maznah Ismail from medical faculty, UPM are actively involved in research on antioxidant.

The role of antioxidant towards our health is justified. When you walk into a pharmacy, you can buy different brands of supplement. However, how effective is the role of a supplement with antioxidant is questionable. Some of us have misunderstood on the importance of balanced diet. Supplements can never be used to substitute balanced diet. Besides, beware that we can "over- supplement" our bodies by taking more than the recommended daily dosage of certain vitamins and minerals. For example, excessive of vitamin A and E (a type of fat soluble vitamins) is stored in liver and fatty tissues that derive to toxicity and diseases. However, I strongly believe in natural therapy where nutrients should be obtained from natural food.

In practical, we should eat high quantity of fruits and vegetables in order to obtain high level of antioxidant. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of United States has identified twenty types of food with high antioxidant level.
1. Red beans
2. Wild blueberries
3. Red kidney beans
4. Pinto beans
5. Cultivated blueberries
6. Cranberries
7. Artichokes
8. Blackberries
9. Prunes
10. Raspberries
11. Strawberries
12. Red Delicious apples
13. Granny Smith apples
14. Pecans
15. Sweet cherries
16. Black plums
17. Russet potatoes
18. Black beans
19. Plums
20. Gala apples
However, in nutrition therapy session, I always encourage my clients to take diet rich in fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Since sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, cantaloupe and mangoes are great sources of antioxidants, it is recommended to consume them in the form of half cooked or even raw. Through this method, enzymes would not be destroyed by the heat during preparation process and the level of antioxidant remains at optimum level. According to Dr Charles Silverman, a natural therapist, we should take at least two types of food with high antioxidant to maintain our health and reduce aging process.

Psychological Stress accelerates aging process. Prof Dennis H. Novack, who studies the link between emotions and health at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, found that during stress hypothalamus excretes adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH). The hormone shortens the telomere and the cells start to degenerate and aging starts. Stress management techniques such as breathing, progressive relaxation, mediation, visualisation should be used when there is an indicator of stress.

What is the relationship between exercise and anti-aging? Studies have shown that nothing works better to attain anti-aging effects than a regular exercise program. ‘Regular’ is the key word – unless your exercise routine is consistent, the process won’t have the same effect. Flexibility exercise is the important exercises to beat the aging process. It increases blood circulation and releases serotonin which is a chemical produced by the brain and is necessary for overall health and well-being. Flexibility exercises are also safe and easy to perform. Besides, strength Building exercise helps build sturdiness and sustain bone mass. Your chances of having a debilitating injury are lessened as you build your muscle strength. Exercises to improve the muscles in your shoulders, back and legs will also help with hormone production. Lastly I would recommend them for cardiovascular exercise. This aerobic exercise also helps fight depression and keep your weight down. Running, brisk walking and any other exercise that will increase your heart rate for a sustained period of time release brain chemicals that produce hormones.
The importance of good nutrition in order to keep away the early signs of aging, but the truth is that this is only the first step. Without a doubt antioxidants are a vital in our fight against diseases. We all agree that sometimes eating the right thing is difficult but when compared with pain and suffering that we can bring to ourselves by getting cancer, arthritis or arteriosclerosis, a bowl of salad and an orange seems like a very tasty choice. Don’t forget that the key element to be incorporated to our life-styles if we want to live longer and look younger is to reduce the amounts of chemicals, synthetics and over the counter drugs that we expose our bodies to.

The need for Market Research in Malaysia

The need for Market Research in Malaysia
By
Dr Leow Chee Seng
FBIH (UK), MMIM, MIMM, MIHRM, CAHRP, CPT-MIM,
MBA (UPM), PhD (USM), DBA (UBI)
Certified E-Commerce Professional (Mal),Certified Professional Trainer (MIM, PSNB),Certified Stress
Management (IACT, USA),Certificate Qualitative Research (Georgia, USA),
Certificate in Homeopathy Medicine (Mal)

Market research is an essential part of any business that offers products or services that are
focussed and well targeted. It views the entire business from the customer's viewpoint taking
into account every aspect of the marketing mix from the product to price, distribution
channels and marketing communications. All these factors affect the customer's response to a
product or service. Business decisions that are based on good judgement and good market
research can minimise risk and pay dividends when market research is part and parcel of the
business process. In general, businesses that invest in market research increase their chances
of succeeding both locally and internationally.
“Why do I need to invest in market research? I am just running a small enterprise!” This
statement is extremely common when consultants approach SMIs or SMEs to conduct
market research to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in running a business.
Unfortunately, the awareness on the importance of market research is limited among
Malaysians. Hence, effort and resources are wasted on trials and errors. (Hair et. al., 2003).
A company may begin exporting without having carried out any market research and this
may have disastrous consequences. In fact, it will be able to find even more promising
markets if it conducts a systematic research.
Market research is imperative for a company to know type of products or services would be
profitable to be introduced into the market. Penetrating a new market without a complete
market research could lead to time and resources wastage. One of the major scopes of
marketing research is to manage the current products and new products through product
management research. Some entrepreneurs act based on their gut feel to determine market
segmentation, promotional and price strategies. These methods obstruct the growth of the
organisation. Besides that, with respect to its existing products in the market, good market
research enables a company to know if it has been able to satisfy customer needs and whether
any changes need to be made in the packaging, delivery or the product itself.
A competitive intelligence research is important to understand the competitive product
strategy to enable a company to formulate a viable marketing plan or measure the success of
its existing plan. On the other hand, test marketing research helps monitor the performance of
a brand by launching in a select area and then taking it across the country. In other words, it
is a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it
is introduced into a wider market. After launching the new product, concept testing research
could identify and test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers. In short, market
research will minimise risk when doing business. Market research can help shape a new
product or service, identifying what is needed and ensuring that the development of a product
is highly focused towards demand.
Market research helps better communicate and understanding of success in business. I have
conducted a research to compare customer satisfaction among patients from private and
public hospitals. From the research, we have identified elements that could boost up their
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customer satisfaction to gear up key performance index (KPI) of the organisation.
Consequently, current customers’ experiences are valuable information source, as not only
will this allow you to gauge how well you currently meet their expectations but it can also tell
you what you are doing right and more importantly what you are doing wrong. By asking for
customer feedback, not only are you showing them that you care but you are also taking the
guess work out of customer services. Indirectly, the organisation has implemented a branding
strategy to increase the market share.
Consumer behaviour plays a vital role if you are planning to operate a new service. We need
to know the preconceived attitudes people have and market research can help, not only in
evaluating the potential for a new idea, but also in identifying the areas where a marketing
message needs to honed. Market research helps you identify opportunities. By understanding
consumer behaviour, we could deliver convincing sales presentations, shorten the sales cycle,
create effective marketing strategies, boost revenue and profits, radically improve the ability
to influence others and close more deals. Hence, understanding consumers through market
research stimulates an organisation to create a “wow” marketing plan.
Nevertheless, market research creates benchmarks and helps an organisation measure their
progress and analyse the corporate effectiveness through corporate research. Among some
research that can be proposed in an organisation is assessing the image of the company
(brand audit research). In advertising research, readership feedback and advertising recall are
common to assess the effectiveness of advertisements. Early research may highlight glaring
holes in your service or shortcomings in your product. Regular market research will
definitely help motivate a company if improvements are being made and more so if they are
positive.
Sales analysis is also a type of market research. In sales analysis, sales trends and suitable
strategies are planned and applied to ensure the optimum growth of the organisation. In sales
analysis, we would assess market potential, estimation of demand for a product and market
share estimation. In addition to that, we would also study seasonal variation for a product,
conduct market segmentation studies, estimate the size of the market and carry out a needs
analysis to find out where the product fits in. Through effective marketing research, time,
effort and resources can be utilized at optimum state to benefit the organisation.
To sum up, market research consists of a plan that charts how relevant data is to be collected
and analyzed so that the results are useful and relevant for making marketing decisions. Once
the research and the related analysis are completed, the results are communicated to
management. This provides management with in-depth information regarding crucial factors
that have an impact on the targeted market and existing marketing mix. Market research
allows management to make the changes necessary for better results through adopting a
proactive approach. There is no doubt that market research is crucial and therefore, SMIs and
SMEs should include such research in their business plan.

Understanding Relationship

THE THREE LEVELS OF RELATIONSHIP
A major purpose of relationship is to meet your and your partner’s needs in an expanded way. There are three levels of relationship, that is, three ways that people in a relationship meet their needs. These are selfish love (level one), conditional love(level two), and unconditional love (level three).

Level One: Selfish Love (My needs come first.)
This is the least mature level. At this level, one or both of the partners are focused on meeting their own needs first. When partners have this focus, the relationship is fragile. If you put your needs first, what happens to your partner? Eventually there will be an erosion of trust and togetherness, and there may even be a conflict or dispute about who gets personal needs met first. Do you ever find yourself with your partner in a situation where you are arguing about who is right, who goes first, who gets their way? All of us do sometimes—and when we do, we are playing at relationship level one. At this level, you are rarely together; one of you comes first. Occasionally there may be some way that you can meet your needs together in the same way, but this cannot be sustained. Life doesn’t work that way—there are always points of choice where if you put yourself first, the other person will suffer. Putting the other first is the essence of trust. When two partners fail to understand each other or put each other’s needs first, then trust is being undermined by individual self-interest.

Level Two: Conditional Love (I’ll give you yours if you give me mine.)

We call level two “horse trading.” At this level, every gesture, every gift, every concession or compromise has strings attached. Nothing is given out of free will, only out of a wish for barter, fairness, or personal gain. We call a level two player by the shocking term “whore,” because what does a prostitute do? He or she gives “love” in exchange for money; without money, no “love” is given. In a relationship in which love is exchanged for favors, nothing is simple. Everything is a ploy, a calculation, an advance payment creating debt. It is difficult to accept love because we never know what the price might be. Everything is purchased. In order to avoid debt, both parties insist on creating fairness, that is, a model of even exchange.
However, plans of even exchange will never create the spontaneous self-expression that leads to a passionate relationship. Trust comes not only from following a prescribed plan but also from feeling that if you should suddenly find yourself in need, your partner will come and serve you. Trust comes from the belief that the relationship is always bigger than any individual exchange or temporary advantage or debt of one partner or the other. Again, all relationships devolve to the level once in a while where it seems that things are not equal or fair. When we are at level two, we fall into blaming, suspicion, cautious truces, and exchanges. We hesitate before giving while the other person is waiting for us, in need. When that happens, do not stay at that level: It is crucial to communicate, to make needs understood, and to give to each other.

Level Three: Unconditional Love (The other’s needs come first.)
This is the level where passion and emotional juice flow. Both partners put each other first. When a partner discovers the other’s need, he or she serves that need spontaneously in the best way possible, without calculating a payback. In fact, the partners are constantly studying each other in order to understand how to serve each other better. They become experts at knowing each other’s needs. Both partners recognize that, at a deep level, they love each other unconditionally and that nothing is needed for the love to be expressed. At this level, it is easy to please each other and to share, because even if you don’t experience the same needs as your partner, you can love what he or she loves. You don’t have to worry about your needs
remaining unmet because your partner habitually puts you first—all you have to do is to
give your partner a clue about what you need. At the level of passion, there is enough safety for you to serve each other not only by giving gifts but by penetrating each other emotionally. When there is a foundation of trust, you can express yourselves in darker and naughtier ways to give your relationship a suspenseful edge. Of course, all relationships devolve occasionally. We all have panic moments when we think that we will not be loved or that we will fall short of expectations; in those moments, we will ask for “fair exchange” or will even focus on getting our individual needs met first. However, if the “center of gravity” of your relationship is at level three, you are enjoying one of the rare experiences of life.