monthly newsletter of the asian productivity organization (apo) – may 2010 issue

8/9/2019 Monthly Newsletter of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) May 2010 issue

1/8 Printed on Recycled Paper

Malaysia hosts 52nd Governing Body

2.... Annual Report of the Secretary-General3....New APO Chair and Vice Chairs3....Comment board4....Productivity methodologies, tools, and

techniques5....Ecotourism on Oahu6....KM outreach through an e-course6....e-Marketing of agricultural products7....Program calender7....Photo op7....New APO publication7....APO/NPO Update7....APO Productivity Photo Contest 20108....NPO focus: KPC8....People behind the scenes

6, Training course, ROK

5, Study mission, USA

T he 52nd Session o the APO GoverningBody (GBM) took place in Kuala Lumpur,the Malaysian capital, 2022 April 2010.The GBM brought together 50 delegates and ad-visers rom 19 member countries as well as eightobservers rom the Colombo Plan, Pan A rican Pro-ductivity Association, Kenya, Nigeria, and Turkey.

This years GBM took up important agenda items.They included determining the amount o totalmembership contributions or the 2011 and 2012 biennium, reviewing the Secretariats proposedcost reductions, and electing a new APO Secretary-General who will assume the position rom Sep-tember this year.

The meeting had a lively discussion on the APO preliminary budget or the 20112012 biennium. Dumember countries in 2006, 2007, and 2008, the apportionment o membership contributions had chano countries saw their membership contributions increase by 20% to 30%, with a ew experiencing

the meeting approved a 0% increase in the amount o total membership contributions or 2011 and 2member countries will continue to be calculated using the current contribution ormula. The meetinconcurrent review o the membership calculation ormula by a task orce on a timetable to be decide

In explaining the cost reduction proposals submitted by the Secretariat, which would entail drastic sasta members, Secretary-General Shigeo Takenaka stressed that sta were the most important ass

ore, the reduction should be seen as an emergency measure. The meeting adopted the proposal with tures would be reviewed within two years to ensure long-term sustainability o the organization and th

The Governing Body unanimously elected Ryuichiro YamazAPO Secretary-General. He has a long, distinguished career wForeign A airs o Japan, serving, among other posts, as Jap

Vietnam and the Philippines. Secretary-General designate Yamo ce rom mid-September 2010.

The inauguration ceremony opened with a welcome addressHussain, Director General o the Malaysia Productivity CoA ter welcoming the delegates and guests, Razali Hussain pracontribution to the expansion o opportunities or cooperatioeconomic development o countries in the Asia-Paci c regionMPCs progress in leading the productivity movement nationwagency under the Ministry o International Trade and Industrcant progress and advanced to become a ull-fedged productivcompetitiveness organization with international linkages.(Continued o

C O N T E N T S

Volume 40 Number 5 May 2010

8, KPC, ROK

APO newsInformation to Make a Difference in Productivity

ISSN: 1728

APO Alternate Director Mohd. Razali Hussain delivers a welcat the GBM in Kuala Lumpur 20 April 2010.

APO Secretary-General Shigeo Takenaka (L)chats with Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Yang Berbahagia Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamad during a group photo

session at the GBM 20 April 2010.


2/8APO News May 010

A ter welcoming directors, advisers, andobservers to the 52nd Governing BodyMeeting (GBM), APO Secretary-GeneralShigeo Takenaka expressed gratitude to the Gov-

ernment o Malaysia or hosting the meeting inrapidly developing yet green Kuala Lumpur. Healso thanked Director General Mohammad RazaliHussain, Malaysia Productivity Corporation,and his team or their hard work and meticulous preparations.

An important item on the GBMs agenda was adecision on the total membership contributions or 2011 and 2012, and the Secretary-General statedthat the Secretariats intention was to ensure thatthe 20112012 budget was substantially the sameas or 2008 because most member governmentswanted to maintain or expand APO activities.However, he acknowledged that member coun-tries whose economies did well in the last threeyears and whose membership contributions wouldconsequently increase might eel di erently andcalled the 52nd GBM a good opportunity todwell on this issue and have a thorough discussionamong member governments.

To ameliorate the e ects o the sharp rise in thevalue o the yen against the US dollar, he explained that the consequent gap between revenue

and expenditure in 2011 and 2012 would be lledalmost solely by reducing Secretariat personnelcosts, with an average salary reduction o 18%, inan e ort to avoid major increases in the amounto membership contributions or some countries.Because we can start the reduction measuresonly rom the beginning o July this year, theimpact in 2010 will be only hal o what we canexpect in 2011/2012, he stated, which is why theSecretariat proposed tapping the working capital

und to cover the short all in the 2010 budget. TheSecretary-General hoped that member govern-

ments would understand the enormous impact o yen appreciation on administrative costs and theunprecedented sacri ce that Secretariat sta were prepared to make.

As the 2010 GBM was the nal one o his term,Secretary-General Takenaka summarized achieve-ments over the past six years rom the administra-tive and organizational perspective. First, he calledattention to the reorganization o the Secretariat

rom six departments to our approximately threeyears ago. The layout change o the Secretariato ce in conjunction with the reorganization notonly avoided a rent hike by reducing the space by 25% but also acilitated communication andcooperation between departments. In hindsight,the Secretary-General believed that the commit-

ment to continue the unctions o the abolishedEnvironment Department and In ormation andPublic Relations Department had been honored,since environment-related activities remainedvigorous and in ormation and public relations hadimproved. For example, the English and JapaneseWeb sites covered more news in a more timely

ashion, with more photos, and the number o visitors to the English site had doubled in the pastthree years.

Second, the Secretary-General re erred to the

introduction o the per ormance-based sta appraisal system three years ago, stating that, I believe that the new system has contributed tothe improvement o the Secretariats overall work culture and sta motivation. Appraisal o o cerswas assisted by the introduction o a new, moresystematic project report system in late 2006. The

ormat covers six points, o which the nal one issuggestions and recommendations by the o icer

or uture improvements and ollow-up. It has

become a very good medium or o cers pose new, innovative ideas within the Secreta pointed out Secretary-General Takenaka, cthe introduction o Category B/C projects an

pansion o e-learning projects as examples.

The third point raised was progress in indiscipline with greater clarity, e ciency, ancountability. This allowed mid-year calculao budget available or the rest o that yearadditional projects. In 2006 and 2007, eighditional projects were held; in 2008, our; a2009, two. Secretariat o icers had also whard to avoid project postponements or calations, the Secretary-General noted, sayingThe overall result has been to maximize thee ts to member governments.

A ter reviewing previous personnel cost-cmeasures, Secretary-General Takenaka descthe deep salary cuts currently proposed anconcern about their long-term impact. Iorganization like the APO, the quality o pworking in the Secretariat plays a crucial rodetermining the quality o activities, he and called sta members the most importsets to any organization. He elt that recrthe type o pro essionals needed would notcilitated by the personnel cost reduction mea

There ore, the Secretary-General emphasizethe proposed measures were emergency onesought the understanding o member coua ter the situation had stabilized, when the cuts would be revised or long-term sustaina

Turning to revenue other than membership c butions, the Japanese government had to ditinue the special cash grant or the APOs AProgram. Fortunately, the Government o th public o China had stepped in to und it inMoreover, the Republic o Korea had resum

special cash grant program or 2010. Weappreciate these generous gestures, SecreGeneral Takenaka said.

As signi icant developments a ter the last the Secretary-General cited the Eco-productternational Fair held in Jakarta, Indonesia, inMarch, which had more than 160 exhibitorover 90,000 visitors. He thanked the Indongovernment or its wholehearted cooper

Summary of the annual report ofthe Secretary-General to the GBM

Secretary-General Shigeo Takenaka


3/8APO News May 010

Comment board

O fcer Shafq R. Bhuiyan , CSR Resource Mobi-lization, CSR Center, Bangladesh.Participant, e-learning course on Knowledge Man-agement (KM) Concepts and Practice: Phase 2, 2 5 March 2010.Knowledge starts with people and ends with people. This is the most important thing we learned

rom the course. We are very thank ul to the APOor organizing the course in which we learned

that KM is nothing but the e ective, systematictrans er o knowledge through human networks. KM is not an entirely newconcept, but rather the targeted harmonization o knowledge as a actor o production and the management o the organizational environment to support individual knowledge trans er to a collective knowledge base. With theimmense popularity o corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Bangladesh,e ective implementation o KM can be an important tool to ensure smoothoperations or any organization to sustain itsel in the long term. On behal o the CSR Centre, we are quite optimistic about organizing customized work-shops on KM or private-sector organizations to support them in achievingcorporate excellence. The e-learning course was a worthwhile experience as itsurmounts geographic barriers. We look orward to the ace-to- ace course in

Bangladesh or a more comprehensive plat orm or sharing and learning thee ective practices o KM.

Director Abdul Rashid Bahri , International Trade and Export, Federal Agri-cultural Marketing Authority, Malaysia.Participant, multicountry observational study mission on Export Promotion o Agri ood Products, Japan, 16 March 2010.All participants could learn and share in ormation and experiences regardingagri ood export and promotion. The strategies adopted by di erent countries provided us with di erent dimensions and more options to replicate their

success. Along with the speakers lectures on market penetration ound the site visit programs very use ul and help ul. The visit t

sale Market, in particular, was really in ormative in that I learned tioning system works, either manually or electronically. Since myin the nal process o introducing an electronic auctioning system

ruit and vegetable wholesale market in the middle o this year, th provided me with insights on how to develop the current system.FOODEX 2010 was also a great opportunity or me to see new products. I think that some o the items can be produced by our Scompetitive costs. I am planning to make a presentation ocusing ings and suggestions to improve our present system, which, I hoimplemented by my organization.

Environmental Practitioner Eric A. Raymundo , Raymundo Environm Management, the Philippines.Participant, training course or Energy Auditors, India, 2226 MaThe cutting-edge knowledge and skills acquired in the training helped me build my con dence, as well as that o my ellow pa practitioners in the eld o energy e ciency (EE). The course wup program to the e-learning course held in 2009 which provided bedge and understanding o energy audits. Through this ace-to-

course, participants were exposed to practical issues, problems, andthat we may encounter while conducting energy audits in the eldthat I learned will de nitely bene t a project that I am currently in the Philippines, the Zero Carbon Resorts Project, ocusing onnewable energy. To enhance our competency in the eld, howevemore experience. There ore, together with Marlon Pareja, a e participant and technical program director o the De La Salle Univronment Department, we plan to work on a proposal or the NPOippines to seek urther assistance rom the APO using its serviceDevelopment o Demonstration Companies and Technical Expert

Another development was the publication o the third APO Productivity Databook in early April, in which total actor productivity was comput-ed or seven member countries and labor productivity or 12. This putsthe APO rmly on the map as a depository o reliable labor productivitystatistics on our region, he declared. The last development was progressin research on knowledge management (KM). A trilogy o practicaltexts on KM, with the nal two scheduled or publication later this year,would make the APO a unique center disseminating the bene ts o KMto SMEs around the world, reported Secretary-General Takenaka.

In concluding, the APO had become a leaner, unctionally moree icient, and inancially more disciplined organization, stated theSecretary-General. With the help o member governments, I canassure you that the Secretariat will continue to work hard to improvee iciency and increase bene its to our members, he pledged andthanked member governments or their support during his Secretary-Generalship.

The 52nd Session o theAPO Governing Bodyelected APO Director

or the Republic o Ko-rea Dr. Dong Kyu Choi(2nd/L) as APO Chair

or 20102011. APODirector or Lao PDR Somdy Inmyxai (C)and APO Alternate Director or Malaysia Mohd. Razali Hussain the position o First and Second Vice Chairs, respectively. On thAPO Administration and Finance Department Director Dr. A.K.P. M

New APO Chair and Vice Chairs


4/8APO News May 010

Table. Typical phases in a BPR project.

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5

Teamalignment Processdiagnosis Processredesign Implementa-tion

Identi y core process

Evaluatecore process

Design process

Implementa-tion

Develop visionand processobjective

Assign projectmanager

Evaluatecurrent process

Applyin ormationtechnology

Design anddevelop process

Vision Kicko Diagnosis RedesignImplemen-tation andevaluation

Preparation Identi cationVision Planning Conversion

SWOTanalysis

Critical suc-cess actors Strategy

Processde nitionand design

Competi-tivenessdesign

Customer requirements

Analyze process

Bench-marking

Design process

Implemen-tation andevaluation

Target/KPIsetting

Projectkicko

Processdiagnosis

Processredesign

Implemen-tation andevaluation

BPR teamormation

Projectkicko

Processdesign Integration Evaluation

Set goalBrain-storming

Evaluate process

Design process Implement

Yesterdays competitive advantage becomes todays basic requiremesurvival. CI is insu cient in many cases, and BPR is there ore adospeed up the improvement in productivity and competitiveness in resto the dramatic, rapid changes in the business environment in recent yE ective, e cient integration o BPR and CI is encouraged.

Productivity methodologies, tools, and techniques

Business process reengineering (BPR) was irst introduced by MichaelHammer, a ormer pro essor at the Massachusetts Institute o Technology,in an article published in Harvard Business Reviewin 1990 (Reengineering

Work: Dont Automate, Obliterate, JulyAugust 1990, pp. 104112). Ham-mer and James Champy de ined BPR as the undamental rethinking andradical redesign o business processes to achieve dramatic improvementsin critical, contemporary measures o per ormance, such as cost, quality,service, and speed. Since then, many enterprises, rom high-tech industriessuch as semiconductors to traditional ones such as ootwear and apparel, and

rom assembly-line sectors to logistics operations have been applying BPR to improve their productivity and competitiveness due to more severe globalcompetition and to combat economic decline over the past two decades.

The key to BPR is to look at the business processes rom scratch and de-termine how an organization can best rebuild those processes to improve

their per ormance. BPR di ers rom continuous improvement (CI) in thatBPR redesigns uture business processes rom a clean slate perspec-tive by getting rid o current work practices, but CI designs it based onthe modi cation o current business processes. Consequently, BPR has ahigher risk in implementation but holds the possibility o signi cant improvement. On the other hand, CI has a lower risk due to gradual and/or partial change but the expected improvement is limited.

BPR does not guarantee success ul implementation. Success ul BPR casestudies have been widely reported, while ailed ones have not. It is esti-mated that there is a 50% to 70% ailure rate o BPR projects with either unsuccess ul e orts or no signi icant bene it gained. As a result, BPR needs to be per ormed in a systematic, rational manner.

Success ul BPR implementation requires strong support rom the topmanagement, since it emphasizes the undamental rethinking and radicalredesign o business processes. A dramatic change in business processesis impossible without the authorization rom the top management, and thisis the most challenging issue in BPR practice, accounting or a signi cant percentage o ailed BPR projects.

It was reported that in tens o BPR projects in ootwear and apparel acto-ries in recent years the ollowing improvements were typically observedwithin one year:

Greater than 10% increase in units produced per man-hour; Greater than 5% increase in the on-time delivery rate; Greater than 50% decrease in lead time; Greater than 50% decrease in work-in-process level; Greater than 5% decrease in equipment down time; and Greater than 3% decrease in unit cost.

BPR is generally executed in phases. Several versions o typical BPR phases are shown in the ollowing table.

Business process reengineeringProf. James C. Chen

Contributed by Pro essor James C. Chen, Department oIndustrial Management, National Taiwan University oScience and Technology, Taiwan, Republic o China. Cheis the ounder o In oreverest (IET), PouChen InternatioGroup, and was an expert or the APO TES Program.

To provide easy re erence to productivity-related terms includingmethodologies, tools, and techniques,the APO developed the p-Glossary,

available on its Web site (www.apo-tokyo.org).


5/8APO News May 010

Malaysia hosts 52nd Governing Body Meeting ........................................................................... (Continued rom pag

APO Alternative Director or Japan Kazuo Sunaga presented the opening ad-dress as the Acting Chair o the APO. Speaking on the current global economicsituation, he mentioned a list o roles that the APO should play to address uturechallenges and di iculties. I am con ident that with its vibrant network o member countries, the APO will emerge rom this challenging phase to becomestronger and more e ective than ever, stated Acting Chair Sunaga. The meetingwas also graced by Malaysian Minister o International Trade and Industry YangBerbahagia Dato Sri Mustapa Mohamad, who delivered the keynote address. Heintroduced various e orts that the Malaysian government had made to support

uture growth as well as success ul examples in other Asian countries. Pro-ductivity will continue to be eatured prominently to ensure that Asia remains productive, competitive, and innovative, which is even more compelling in the

context o a highly competitive, globalized world such as todays, concludedMinister Mustapa Mohamad.

During the plenary session, APO Director or the Republic o Korea Dr. DongKyu Choi was elected APO Chair or 20102011, with APO Director or LaoPDR Somdy Inmyxai and APO Alternate Director or Malaysia Mohd. RazaliHussain assuming the position o First and Second Vice Chairs, respectively.

In his annual report to the meeting ( see page 2 or a summary), Secretary-GeneralTakenaka explained the backgrounds to the Secretariats proposals being submitted

or decisions at the meeting. He also brie ed the meeting on what hand what remained to be done during his two terms as head o the Sareas o re orming the organization and its programs and activities

GBM delegates also exchanged ideas and views on regional produThis year, Directors were invited to make presentations on the themthrust areas. This topic was chosen to enable the APO to remain reletive in ul lling its mission. A special presentation on Malaysias Model by Tan Sri Dato Dzulkifi bin Abdul Razak, Vice ChancelSains Malaysia, and a member o the National Economic Adviso

ered more ood or thought in the eld o national innovation an

The Secretariat will study these valuable inputs care ully in orthem into practical programs and activities, promised SecreTakenaka in his closing statement. Re erring to the di culties t

aced in major agenda items, he said, I the APO remains relevo the member countries and i the kind o cooperative spirit th played in this GBM is maintained, I am con dent that our organable to overcome any di culty.

Japan will host the 53rd GBM in 2011, when the APO will celeanniversary.

S purred by economic growth and aggressive campaigns, tourism in theAsia-Paci c region is increasing rapidly. The downside, however, is the possible negative impact on ecosystems and local communities. Whatis the solution? Ecotourism can protect the environment and resources, improvelocal livelihoods, and stimulate the economy. The rich cultural and biologicaldiversity o the Asia-Paci c has great potential or ecotourism. Increased busi-

ness opportunities in rural areas and accumulated revenue can help governmentsconserve and regulate or natural resource protection and rehabilitation.

The APO, in collaboration with the US State o Hawaii Department o Business,Economic Development and Tourism and Hawaii Ecotourism Association, de- puted a nine-country study mission to Oahu, 1510 March, to observe the latesttrends and developments in ecotourism in the Aloha State, which has developedits rural communities in an innovative, sustainable way. Participants attended presentations by Assistant Specialist Dr. John H. Cusick, Environmental Center,University o Hawaii, and Interim Associate Dean Dr. Linda J. Cox, AssociateDirector or Extension, University o Hawaii Manoa, College o Tropical Agri-culture and Human Resources.

Site visits began at the Kaala Farm Culture Learning Center, where participantstoured ancient gardens, learned about early Hawaiian survival methods, and ob-served training or at-risk youths in the ways o their ancestors. Agrotourism, work-

orce development, and community building were demonstrated at the KahumanaOrganic Farm and Ca , which provides transitional homes or amilies. Outdoor activities, educational tours, and local hiring were underway at Kualoa Ranch.

Nearly three million annual visitors and neglect had damaged once- amed Hanau-

ma Bay. Crowd control systems protecting and preserving the ma-rine ecosystem have now madeit a prime ecotourism attraction.Hanauma Bays nature preser-vation, visitor management, and

education system were enlighten-ing, reported Taehoon Kim,East Asia Inter-Regional TourismForum Secretariat Specialist,Republic o Korea, noting the importance o cooperation betweenthe private and public sectors.

Neb Samouth, o CambodiasMinistry o Tourism commented,I learned a lot o new things and discovered the scope o ecotorience will help greatly to develop ecotourism in Cambodia. It plicable to see the development o ecotourism in the modern-darecovering lost pieces o history can shape ecotourism o the Weera Bumrungsee, Association o Thai Travel Agents.

The study mission was an eye-opener or both participants astated Secretariat Agriculture Program O icer Muhammad Sized the study mission. Participants took home use ul lessons a

ollow-up, the Hawaii Ecotourism Association is planning to oPaci c Summit on Ecotourism in 2011.

Ecotourism on Oahu

Dalani Tanahy, Executive Director o Farm, demonstrates making poi rom staple o the native Hawaiian diet


6/8APO News May 010

KM outreach through an e-courseK nowledge has become a key driver con erring a competitive advan-tage, along with productivity, quality, and innovation. Recognizingthe vital importance o knowledge management (KM) to member countries, in 2008 the APO ormed an expert group to develop an APO KM

ramework suitable or SMEs. Following the acceptance o the ramework,another expert group was established to develop the KM training curriculumthat ormed the basis or the e-learning course on KM Concepts and Practices.

The course, conducted through the World Banks Global Distance Learning Network, expands the opportunities or member countries to develop their KM capacities. It was held in three phases during February and March or 15 member countries. The course was targeted at a wider audience alreadyinvolved in KM. In total, a record 359 nominations were received rom thetargeted countries, o which 310 success ully passed the exam and completedthe requirements o the course, reported Secretariat Research and PlanningProgram O cer Kamlesh Prakash. He added that blended courses involvinge-learning and traditional ollow-up projects were innovative, e icient, andhad wide outreach.

The course was structured in our modules covering KM theory, practices, and

examples to amiliarize participants with the APO KM ramework, itation approach, and methods, tools, and techniques. The main acJapan, Singapore, and the Philippines made interactive presentations iexercises and case studies o KM. Knowledge management is the do enabling individuals, teams, and entire organizations to create, sapply knowledge to better achieve their objectives, explained Seniorant Naoki Ogiwara, Knowledge Dynamics Initiatives, Fuji Xerox CJapan. In his presentation, Ogiwara also introduced 20 essential KM techniques including brainstorming, expert locater, storytelling, dolibraries, blogs, social network services, and knowledge ca s, which ple, practical, easy to use, and extremely power ul.

Director Praba Nair, KDi Asia, Singapore, emphasized the importanc ple in KM summarizing the entire course: To change the way we wneed to challenge the technology, reinvent processes, and expand conThe leverage here is people. Knowledge begins with people and en people. APO e orts to promote KM and o er the methodology twill continue in a ace-to- ace ollow-up training course scheduled New KM publications now in progress will emphasize practical use

especially in the SME context.

T he Internet has changed the world. In line with other sectors, retail businesseshave taken up e-marketing, or Internet marketing, expanding outreach to cus-tomers beyond their conventional shopping districts. A global market is nowaccessible to any business with a Web site. Agroindustry is no exception. However, because agricultural products are perishable, numerous considerations or e ectivemarketing are required. Proper handling and packaging, timely delivery, storage

conditions, and knowledge o Internet operations and marketing are crucial. Farmsin Asia tend to be small in scale, and exposure to in ormation and communicationtechnology (ICT) and education may be limited. The promotion o agroproducte-commerce in the region necessitates the active involvement o the public and/or private sector to develop in rastructure and provide in ormation and ICT training.

The Korean government concluded that without governmental support at the initialstage, agroproduct e-commerce would not success ully take o , explained Dr.Junghoon Moon, Assistant Pro essor, Department o Management Science, Korea Ad-vanced Institute o Science and Technology, at an APO training course on e-Marketingheld in Seoul, March 1519. Agroproduct e-commerce, he told the group, eliminatesmiddlemens ees. It means more pro t or armers and lower prices or consumers.

The ive-day course was attended by representatives o small- and medium-scaleagribusiness enterprises, armers associations, and governments rom 13 member countries, encompassing the basic principles and current practices in the marketingo agricultural products via the Internet, as well as the design o Web pages andonline-based promotional materials. Speakers described the concepts and principleso e-commerce, e-business, and e-marketing, and their applications to agribusiness.Workshops and hands-on training were included, and a ter three days o classroomdiscussion, eld studies provided participants with a rst-hand look at the advanceduse o ICT in the Republic o Koreas agribusiness sector.

The group visited Seouls Garak Wholesale Produce Market, a popula

or resh ruit and vegetables, and watched demonstrations o e-acontinued to the Agricultural and Marine Cyber Exchange Center, seeihow e-marketing can be e ectively utilized by the arming communi

It was an excellent program by the Korean team, con rmed PrincipShaik Abdul Kahder, SAK Consultants and Associates, India, the cspeaker in the course. It was a demonstration o their commitment

or agribusiness and showcased signi cant accomplishments to date. participants contributed and shared their countries experience, and learning opportunity or me as well.

e-Marketing of agricultural products

Learning marketing strategies at Garak Market


7/8APO News May 010

APO/NPO UpdateNew NPO or MongoliaThe Secretariat was in ormed that the establishment o a new NPO orhad been completed w.e. . 1 April 2010. Details o the new NPO are: Name: Mongolia Productivity Organization

Location: Trade Union Building (Room 211), Suukbathar SquarePostal address: P.O. Box 828.14201 Ulaanbaatar-46Phone/ ax: 976-11-310982e-Mail: [email protected]

New NPO Head and APO Liaison O fcer or MongoliaMr. Delgertsogt Davaadorj, Director, and Ms. Otgonchuluun Dorj, Vice o the Mongolia Productivity Organization, were appointed new NPO APO Liaison O cer, respectively, w.e. . 1 April 2010. The contact phoand e-mail address o Ms. Dorj are:Phone: 976-11-310982e-Mail: [email protected], [email protected]

New APO Liaison O fcer or NepalMr. Rajendra Ratna Bajracharya, Branch Chie , National Productivity nomic Development Centre, Nepal, was appointed new APO Liaison O Nepal, w.e. . 16 March 2010.

New NPO Head or NepalMr. Khem Raj Kunwar, General Manager, National Productivity and EDevelopment Centre, was appointed new NPO Head or Nepal, w.e. . 8 A

New APO Liaison O fcer or SingaporeMr. Dave Lim, Head, Planning, SPRING Singapore, was appointed neLiaison O cer or Singapore, w.e. . 1 April 2010.

July MalaysiaTraining Course on Providing Advisory and Training Services to Womenon the Management o Micro- and Small-scale Agro ood-processingEnterprises, 2631 July 2010.

Objectives: To equip participants with knowledge o and skills in the useo selected productivity management tools and techniques to enhance their ability to provide advisory services and training to women in the managemento micro- and small-scale agro ood processing enterprises; and to disseminatesuch knowledge to member countries through the development o a manual onthe applications o these tools and techniques. Participants: Consultants, trainers, and/or extension o cers o governmentaland nongovernmental organizations, academics, and representatives o industryassociations involved in training women.

PhilippinesTraining Course on Standards and Certi ication Systems or OrganicFood Production and Processing, 1217 July 2010. Objectives: To enhance participants knowledge o standard setting,inspection, and certi cation processes or organic ood production and processing. Participants: Entrepreneurs, managers, and o cers o SMEs involved in the production, marketing, and trade o organic products; o cials o government,organic industry associations, and NGOs or academics involved in regulation, promotion, and extension activities or organic products; or consultantsinvolved in auditing and inspection o organic ood production and processing.

USAAPO Study Mission to a Nonmember Country on Innovations in FoodProducts, 27 June1 July 2010. Objectives: To study approaches and tools or introducing innovations in

ood products and the latest trends in packaging, labeling, promotion, andmarketing o innovative ood products. Participants: CEOs and managers o agribusinesses and agri ood processingand trading companies, or senior government o cials, consultants, scientists,and academic aculty members involved in agribusiness development andagri ood processing and exporting.

Program calendar

Please contact your NPO or details o uture activities, including eligibility or participation. The project details along with the address o your NPO are avail-able rom the APO Web site at www.apo-tokyo.org.

The August deadline is approaching for this year's APO Produc-tivity Photo Contest.We're waiting for pictures that illustrate efforts in productivity(people working together for improvement in agriculture, indus-try, schools, communities... there are topics all around us). Fordetails, see our Web site (www.apo-tokyo.org).

Photo op

Malaysia's Ministry o International Trade & Industry Advisor Dato' Nik Zainiah Nik Abd. Rahman, ormer NPO Head and APO Director or Malaysia (2nd/L), is all smiles posing with Secretariat Industry Department Acting Director Setsuko Miyakawa (L), Philippine APO Director Margarita R. Songco(2nd/R), and Secretariat Agriculture Department Senior Program O fcer Joselito C. Bernardo a ter shewas made an APO Honorary Fellow during the Governing Body Meeting, Kuala Lumpur, 21 April 2010.

New APO publication

APO PRODUCTIVITYDATABOOK 2010 New edition o the APO Productivity Databook serie

APO 142 pp. April 2010ISBN: 92-833-2405-6 (print edition)ISBN: 92-833-7091-0 (e-edition)


8/8

APO News May 010

Published monthly by Asian Productivity Organization,Hirakawa-cho Dai-ichi Seimei Bldg. 2F, 1-2-10 Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093, J

People behind the scenes:Yoshikazu Kihira

T he man behind theEco-Products Directory

Polite, respect ul, open-minded, reliable, a whiz with data, gures,and analysis and the proper Japanese gentleman, shy but unnywhen you get to know him are how colleagues describe Secretariat IndustryDepartment Program O icer Yoshikazu Kihira, the person behind theEco- products Directory .

TheEco-products Directory provides a wealth o in ormation on available eco-products or companies or governments looking or suppliers,says Kihira, who joined the APO in 2007 and has since been working on its content and distribu-tion. The directory is sent to member country governments, environment-relatedorganizations, and eco-product exhibitions, as well as environment ministers oAustralia, New Zealand, the EU, North America, and other Asian countries.

Although there is no exact de nition,eco-products generally re er to environ-mentally riendly items. Since 2004, the APO has published theEco-productsDirectory each year, o ering a comprehensive guide to eco-products and-services currently available on the market; 3,400 have been included to date.The 2010 edition o ers listings o 1,000 leading-edge eco-products, with clearexplanations o their eatures.

The 2010 directory de nes eco-products as products and services that comply withenvironmental regulations or are environment- riendly, refecting manu acturers

voluntary e orts to care or the environment. Besidesindustrially oriented items, products and services relat-

ed to agriculture, tourism, and nance are included, aswell as eco-businesses aimed directly at environmentalimpact reduction. Many o the listings include environ-mental labels that state product eatures to in orm and appeal to conti ying that items are eco-products in compliance with the independeset by countries, regions, organizations, and industry associations.

We want to promote the directory extensively among all APO metries through their NPOs. We want to expand the number o entrieeveryone who is concerned about our environment, Kihira explaiNPOs are not very heavily involved in environmental matters, but

nd more eco-label organizations in the region. Despite di erent ecriteria among member countries, we would like to move ahead andsupport rom major companies. A study meeting is to be held in Stember to discuss how to adjust the eco-criteria. The APO seeks to network with the public and private sectors to publicize the directorby utilizing the private-sector network o the Japan Productivity CKihira was previously employed or 17 years.

In his ree time, the tireless program o cer enjoys trekking in thwith his wi e.

Pursuing human-centered productivity:My New KPC Vision

T h e m o r n i n g b u s t l e o n aworking day ina city like Seoul can

be a nightmare. Sen-ior Project Manager Kwang Yoon Lee,CEO Academy, KoreaProductivity Center (KPC) had mornings

worse than most since he drives two children to the nursery. I ought theclock to reach the o ce on time, admitted Lee. Now Lees mornings aremore relaxed, thanks to the fexible time system introduced by the KPClast year. He can report to work 30 minutes later and leave 30 minuteslater than colleagues. It really helps a lot, con rmed Lee. My share inchildcare is more stable. Most training programs I oversee are in the latea ternoon or evening, so the system suits me.

This lexible time system is one measure adopted to make the KPC acheer ul workplace under the My New KPC Vision project launched by

Dr. Choi (L) in the KPC o fce wearing casual attire

NPOfocus

Chairman and CEO Dr. Dong Kyu Choi on 1 July 2009 as part o anniversary commemorations. Dr. Choi has promoted human-cente productivity since he took o ce in December 2008. My New KPC V

ul ills the mission o contributing to national economic develo

through productivity improvement ounded on respect or humanitthe best knowledge services.

The My New KPC Vision task orce comprised 21 sta representindepartment. They came up with strategies to enhance the KPCs role knowledge creator, public innovator, and cheer ul workplace, inclu

lexible time, casual dress, think days (one- or two-month sabbaticamily days, and ree attendance in KPC training courses.

There was some hesitation or uncertainty in practicing all the new segies in the beginning. However, Dr. Choi encouraged sta by appein casual dress rom day one. Now it eels natural and com ortcommented Project Manager Seung-won Choi, PR and MemberTeam. KPC sta agree that the work culture and organizational lowere enhanced ollowing the implementation o My New KPC Vand believe that it refects the basis o human-centered productivity.

monthly newsletter of the asian productivity organization (apo) – may 2010 issue

Documents