Sibu In The Blue Ocean - Part 9

Tan Kee Hian then took the audience to go on board for a cruise of Red and Blue oceans.

Red Oceans simply refer to a known market space where competition is bloody. In short, competitors kill each other off for survival or gaining an advantage over market share.

Common characteristics of Red Ocean Approach are intense competition, low growth, shrinking profit pool, etc.

Tan Kee Hian quoted a few companies that broke free of Red Competition:

SOUTHWEST
Nintendo
Bloomberg
FRESHENING
swatch
BreadTalk
GE
CIRQUE DU SOLEII
Thailand Auto Components
Ford
DU PONT
LI & FUNG
SAMSUNG
iPod + iTunes
STARBUCKS COFFEE

In short, Red Ocean Approach is bad for corporations!

Photo: Liong

Sibu In The Blue Ocean - Part 8

After establishing dreams and visions for Sibu, Tan Kee Hian then moved on to apply Blue Ocean Strategy Approach towards realising the dreams.

Tan Kee Hian is more than qualified and experienced to enlighten Sibuians on the burning issue of development using Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS). Kee Hian is a Senior Global Expert in the Blue Ocean Strategy Network co-founded by the creators of Blue Ocean Strategy, Professor Kim and Mauborgne. He works with private and public organisations globally, and across a wide range of sectors on BOS. He is a keynote speaker on BOS at public and in-house conferences and management retreats, conducts awareness seminars and training workshops, and leads major initiatives to formulate and execute BOS.

Tan Kee Hian proceeded to outline challenges to achieving economic and social development:-

1. Finding attractive, big ideas.
2. Creating viable economic models.
3. Implementing major transformation.
4. Managing high risks (associated with bold strategies).
5. Building resilience to economic cycles.
6. Achieving a healthy balance between GDP growth, quality of life, human rights and sustainability.

Tan Kee Hian then put it to the floor,"Does Sibu face similar challenges?"

The picture shows the public forum in progress. Photo: Liong

Sibu In The blue Ocean - Part 7

Putting in a nutshell, the dreams/visions that Tan Kee Hian formulated for Sibu are as follows:

1. Home for our educated and talented sons and daughters.

2. Magnet for aspiring young people coming here to fulfill their dreams.

3. Recognised as a Centre of Excellence.

4. Dynamic and intellectually stimulating society.

5. Healthy and thriving society, by day and by night.

6. Continuous renewal and re-invention of all areas of economic, social and spiritual endeavours.

Allow me to sidetrack here a little bit before we proceed further with Kee Hian's talk.

Touching on dreams and visions as propounded by Tan Kee Hian, we tend to quiz ourselves about how likely it is for the dreams to come true.

A success case in Singapore may help to inspire us towards thinking more positively.

"The Cleaning Up of Singapore River" was a classic dream -come- true in the island nation. PM Lee Kuan Yew made a vision statement to the nation to turn the polluted Singapore River into a clean and attractive tourist spot in 10 years' time. The vision was given on 27 February 1977 and within the time frame specified, Singapore did it.

PM Lee Kuan Yew's concise vision statement carried weight and strength:

"It should be a way of life to keep the water clean, to keep every stream, every culvert, every rivulet, free from unnecessary pollution. In ten years let us have fishing in the Singapore River and fishing in Kallang River. It can be done."

Singapore River and Sibu may not be comparable in many aspects. But it is the good execution power , high efficiency and forward-looking quality of the Singapore leaders that we really have to reflect upon and emulate.

We should read PM Lee Kuan Yew's statements at the commencement and conclusion of "The Cleaning Up of Singapore River" project with deep thinking and relate them to "Sibu In The Blue Ocean".

You may also give your comments in forum.pilley.edu.my

MPI Forum Blog

Methodist Pilley Institute (MPI), a locally renowned higher institution of learning, initiated another public forum for the interests of Sibuians. In mind of the organiser was the pressing concern for Sibu. Themed "Sibu In The Blue Ocean", the forum was organised with the aim to heighten the level of awareness of Sibuians generally with regard to the direction-heading of Sibu in terms of development and growth.

"Sibu In The Blue Ocean" was the second Sibu-centred public forum that MPI took up to hold towards meeting the thirst for some lights to be shed on the future of Sibu. The first talk, also given by Tan Kee Hian, was held last year on October 25 titled "Outlooks for Sibu From My Global Journey of Discovery".

"Sibu In The Blue Ocean" kick-started deeper thinking and more daring dreaming for our hometown. With that in mind, MPI has just set up a forum blog as a continuing effort with the objective to use it as a platform for open discourse or even debate on issues of interest and concern for Sibu.

Sibuians are encouraged to contribute constructive comments or opinions to the blog. Together let us work towards making Sibu a better place.

You may log on forum.pilley.edu.my

The above picture was taken at the forum last year at MPI. Photo : Terrence Tan

Sibu In The Blue Ocean - Part 6

Think the unthinkable! That precisely is the core of the Blue Ocean concept.

The dream for Sibu to be the first in Malaysia to achieve high-income status might sound farfeitched to a lot of Sibuians. But if we put it within the framework of the Blue Ocean Approach formulated by Tan Kee Hian, then it looks probable.

Our national goal now is for Malaysia to reach High-Income status.

Malaysia successfully leapt from a low-income nation to the present middle-income status. We have been stagnant at this level, moving only at a snail's pace towards the next status (high-income).

Our country needs new policies and strategies to take itself up to reach a high-income level. Dati' Seri Najib Razak said on 2 May, 2009, "We need to introduce a new economic model to ensure a quantum leap to become a high-income country".

In the 2010 Budget Presentation, the prime minister encouraged several measures to drive the country towards a high-income economy.

1. Increased private investment.
2. Intensify foreign direct investment (FDI).
3. Intensify research, development and commercialisation.
4. Boost the tourism industry.
5. Intensify the halal industry.
6. Advance the agriculture sector.

Achieving high-income status is presently Malaysia's big challenge!

Photo: Terrence Tan of MPI

Sibu In The Blue Ocean - Part 5

Continuing from Part 4 where Kee Hian put the audience to dream about Sibu, the speaker then went on further to spur the floor to have dreams:

5. Sibu as a place which is a healthy and thriving city, by day and by night, in social, cultural, sporting and spiritual aspects.
6. Sibu as a place which has continuous renewal and re-invention of all areas of economic, social and spiritual endeavours.
7. Sibu to have accelerated economic development and growth in terms of GDP, equitable wealth distribution and employment.
8.Sibu to be the first in Malaysia to achieve "high-income" status.

Photo: Terrence Tan of MPI

Sibu In The Blue Ocean - Part 4

Dream is not only an inspiration, it is also a driver for us to forge onwards. Martin Luther King Junior's famous " I have a dream...." was an inspiration to lots of people.

Similarly, in taking up the developmental issues of Sibu, we must dare to dream!

Tan Kee Hian said Sibu parents are proven dreamers. They are prepared to stretch to the fullest their financial means to send their offspring to overseas for higher education, dreaming their sons or daughters would excel one day.

With that, Kee Hian then called on Sibuians to daringly have dreams/visions for Sibu for the betterment of our hometown.

The speaker put the challenge to the floor to dream Sibu to be a place:

1. Where educated and most talented sons and daughters want to return to live and work during their prime years of their lives.

2. Which is a magnet for aspiring young people from the rest of Sarawak and Malaysia to come to fulfill their dreams.

3. Which is recognised nationally and regionally as a Centre of Excellence for certain sectors, subsectors or domains.

4. Which is a dynamic and intellectually stimulating society which (a) encourages thinking by people of all ages; (b) respects for creative pursuits; (c) facilitates diverse forums for constructive debates, and (d) brings up forward-looking leaders.

The picture shows Mr. Tan Kee Hian speaking at the public forum. Photo: Terrence Tan of MPI