Shaun T. Dy's Business & Economics Perspective Blog

I found this meme on Facebook. Fortunately, there's already an attribution on the picture. In my case, I prefer to say, "Continuous improvement is better than expecting sudden perfection." It's because perfectionism is lethal, and we're all but human beings. As the midterm elections come in, there are still people who may either be (1) reminiscing that "perfect leader" (ex. Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, etc.) or (2) still expecting the perfect leader.  It's sad some people still believe in the old lie repeated all over again, "It's not the system that's the problem. It's the people that's the problem." They still wait for this "grand glorious leader". That's why I often joke on Facebook saying, "Why don't you create this perfect leader so I too may follow him to victory!" Of course, there's no perfect leader, and trying to genetically engineer that...

Tech Republic As Christmas is almost near (and I hate the Christmas season in the Philippines but not Christmas itself), I think of why working on papers and shopping from September up to December is a hassle . I hear the song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" at all. However, it's ironic that Christmas starts early but Christmas shopping is delayed until the last minute (read here ). One of the biggest problems that cause shopping (or any transaction for that matter) to become a hassle is AIDS. No, I'm not talking about the AIDS virus but an Internet slang called As If Doing Something. I learned the term during my MBA days. Part of me is wondering, "Was it worth it to get an MBA in the Philippines?" It's because I never learned how to invest in an index fund in school  but through reading Warren Edward Buffett! I remember some of the worst things in my college days. Some people say, "I'm busy!" in the Cebuano dialect. I update...

Last 2022, I wrote two articles on the means of production. One article I wrote refutes the idea that workers, not the business owners, own the means of production . Another article discussed whether or not anti-capitalists have no choice because capitalists own the means of production . The other day, I wrote a dare where I want people who insist on #SahodItaasPresyoIbaba economics (higher salaries, lower prices) to open stores that operate on that mindset . I'm afraid that what I wrote was merely the tip of the iceberg . With that in mind, I'd like to ask people who say that the workers own the means of production to open a business, where the workers own the means of production. What's their reasoning behind the logic that the workers own the means of production? The common logic is that because the workers did all the hard work they own the production. They say that the businessman can die but not the workers. It's because according to these smart alecks--it's b...

I remember being chastised and said, "The customer is always right!" It became hypocritical because the same person who told me that later chastised me for yelling at the service provider in public . I'd admit that I screamed at the phone or even in person because things didn't go my way. My favorite excuse would be, "You said the customer is always right, right?" Going by the logic that the customer is always right, I'm right in doing the wrong that I did to service providers. It also reminds me of some rude manager lady (who I believe got fired sometime later, not going to mention her name or the company) who's heard to be highly unreasonable . She would scream in public louder than the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago.  I'd like to give an illustration of the fault of that phrase. The news of a raging customer who threw hot soup at the manager can create debate . Was she in the right when she threw the hot soup at the manager instead of talking t...

There's the statement that  some  honor students didn't do well later in life. I don't blame  their  being honor students as to why they failed in  real life .  The late John Gokongwei graduated as an honor student . Just reading this can explain why some honor students are still doing well in real life:  Mr. John didn’t resume his studies until nearly five decades later. By then, he had already founded JG Summit, built his business empire, and made a name for himself in various industries.  Despite his success, he still went back to school and proved that learning truly is a lifelong process .  Apart from pursuing a master’s degree in business administration from De La Salle University, Mr. John also completed a 14-week Advanced Management Course at Harvard University.  “ It took me four years since I was a working student. When I got my diploma, it was one of the proudest moments of my life, ” he previously shared during his alma mater...

Updated: December 23, 2023 I'm amazed at how I'm surrounded by people overly resistant to change. I was reminded of a former house helper (who also loved the phrase "If it's bitter then just add sugar", read the related article here ), who was overly resistant to change. She would always get mad whenever the iron, the light outlet, etc. were changed to better ones. I'm afraid the same can be true about jeepney modernization. There are some people (and even "thought leaders") who are still saying, "No to jeepney modernization! Think of the drivers!" The same people may also be those who are still against accepting of FDIs because of dumb reasons like "But only the FDIs will get rich!" or "FDIs will invade us and destroy our sovereignty type of talk."  I'd admit that driving in the Philippines isn't exactly more fun. I remembered a couple of times I cursed because of a jeepney driver. I guess the vehicle gets the n...

Some time ago, I wrote an article using @successpictures to portray a toxic view of menial labor . As November is about to end, I was looking at some good and bad things that happened this 2023. I'm not going to spill them out, to respect the privacy of the people involved. I was also looking at the toxic positivity common in the Philippines. One of these involves the attitude where people say, "If it's bitter, just add sugar." (read here ). The illustration that I just got may actually be funny but it can be annoying. You have a wise old man selling his invention of the wheel. Unfortunately, two idiots are too "busy" dragging their cargo with a square wheel . The idea may sound funny because one might remember some cartoon shows they watched. Maybe, it was a gag show in the 1990s for all the 1990s children, out there like myself.  I faced some people on Facebook who are too stubborn about system change. I try to ask for their sources and they can only give ...