Successful malaysian innovators and entrepreneurs

Successful malaysian innovators and entrepreneurs Introduction An innovator or pioneer in a general definition is a person or an organization which is one of the first to do something and often opens up a new area or market for others and achieves an innovation. Meanwhile an entrepreneur is an individual who own a new enterprise, venture or idea and took calculated risk for a good output. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to the type of character who is willing to take risk and taking chances in a new venture or enterprise and accepts full responsibility for the outcome. A French economist, Jean-Baptiste Say is believed to have coined the word entrepreneur in the 1800. Innovator and entrepreneur do not share the same meaning but indeed, there is a significant relationship between innovator and entrepreneur. A person can be an innovator and entrepreneur at the same time. In Malaysia, there are many innovators and entrepreneurs that manage to gain recognition at the international stage. Most of the entrepreneurs manage to achieve the success by running businesses that sell either products or services. Those successful people are Tony Fernandes, Tan Sri Robbert Kuok and Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar. However, some of them do not get fame by running business. They would think out of the box and be innovative. Some of the successful innovators are Eric Leong, Jimmy Choo and Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing. Their creativity in certain aspects such as interior design, shoes design and knowledge of designing let the whole world see them. Among all these successful local innovators and entrepreneurs, they have their own ways to achieve success. Every one of them goes through different path of life. Some may get it in an easy way, some may be not. They have their own reasons to fight for, different motivation to work things out and various ways to achieve it. For this assignment, we would like to know details about the entrepreneurs and innovators in Malaysia. The reasons and motivation that make them to be so successful is something that we are interested in. The sharing from them about it would be so precious that it would be guidance for us in life. Besides, we would collect feedback and opinion from the public about why and how entrepreneurs and innovators in Malaysia succeed. Hope that we can get the general perspective about it. Background Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary was born in 1951 into a middle class family. His father is in the cow breeding business. His mother is a homemaker. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Due to poverty, he cannot afford education, thus he complete his secondary education without furthering it into university level. He starts to help his father in his business, by managing the account. He helps his mother during his free time by selling agricultural product and also roti canai before leaving for school . Life was a bed of roses for Syed Mokhtar during his childhood. [1,2,3] He is a private man who does not like to show off his luxurious life. For your information, he can get along easily with other people. He is easily approached by everyone. He doesnt splurge on luxury car. For him, status is not something important in his life. There is time when he is up and there is time when he is down. Lifestyle is just like a disease for him that can deteriote people. His ride is a Proton Perdana and 20 years old Mercedes which he use infrequently. [1] Syed Mokhtar is a strong muslim, thus he always hold strongly to the muslim principal of giving out charity with a sincere heart. He helps the needy and even built mosques across the country. His generosity extended when he donated 1 million pound to Oxford University for the Islamic Learning Center in London. He found his love late, especially when his age approaching mid 40s. The marriage was blessed with 2 boys and girls. Career His hardship in 1951 has propelled him to the success that he have today. He and his father sells grocery to their neighbor around their neighborhood. As business grows, they expend from one state to the next, and they event imported cow from the neighboring country, Thailand to sell it in the local market [1,2] . The cow business suffers a setback due to the foot and mouth disease. However this disappointment makes him more determine to succeed. He expend his business to different field to logistics [3] His down to earth and humbleness makes it easier for him to cooperate with business man from other races. He take over a business that seems to fail and turn it around until he earn the profit. From logistics, he turn in trading business. Famous for being know the rice bowl of the nation, he choose to trade rice. His continuous efforts in his trading earn him rice trading licenses from the authority, Lembaga Padi Negara. Due to his reliability, lots of contracts came pouring in [2] He currently holds some stake in various companies like Mining Corporation Berhad (MMC), Bernas, Malakoff Berhad, Johor Port Berhad, , DRB-HICOM and many more others. He normally doesnt give many press interviews and prefer to keep in private life. His low key attitudes still grab media attention as he is passionate about charity and conduct his charity work through his foundation, Al-Bukhary Foundation. [2] One of the milestones of the Al-Bukhary Foundation is the construction of the Rm 70 million Islamic Art Museum valued at RM70 millions. This also along with a few mosques that he build across the country. Hallmark Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar is not only a humble person, but he also is very supportive of national product. He could afford any luxurious imported car, but he still drive around in his Proton Perdana. His generosity also been highlighted by supporting local students who are qualified and eligible to pursue their studies in local over university abroad. He provides scholarship for 1000 Saudi Arabian student to study in Malaysia. The first social contribution from Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary started with his mother asking him to donate half of his first salary as the director of a rice company (RM 750.00) to his poor neighbours. The other half was kept by his mother. Besides, his mother also asked him to send kerosene lamps to the mosques during the month of Ramadhan, so that activities can be carried out at night in the mosques. From that time onwards, that is how Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary was brought up to be a good personality and thinking person. He thinks that when God give us the wealth, we have to help the needy people. The god gives us wealth to us to help the others. There are some Malay businesspersons who do not want to help because they consider money as their priorities. [3] Syed Mokhtar is a down-to-earth person that will share his wealth with the others. He will feel nice when everyone has the chance to enjoy the same benefits together. He will not forget those who help him before. Humble is one of his life philosophies. No matter how great achievement he has now, he will still go back to Alor Setar and help those who really need helps. Sometimes, he will feel upset seeing some people forget their roots after achieving success in life. They should never forget about their roots no matter how. Wealth is meant to be shared. He likes to donate and contribute. He does not have the desire to keep all the wealth for his wife and children. Money will not last. He believes in Karma. Its not money that will protect him but what he is doing now. Theres no secret for success. Syed Mokhtar is only a human being that created by god but the difference is his way of getting mature. He believes that whoever will success if they really work hard for it. It may take some time. There will no short cut for success. There is reason why he works as if there is no tomorrow. Social and society issues are one of the reasons. He wants to make sure that the heritage would last long enough for my next generation. He knows his own strengths and weaknesses. He would ask for help from the other people when he is unable to do it. He go through the hard way but that is the right way. He has nothing at the beginning. However he will learn what he does not know, asks help from the others. He does not feel ashamed for that because he is not stealing. He works on his own. The attitude of being lazy and shame should be changed. He thinks that a person has to be patience and put more effort in order to run a business successfully. He keeps on searching for opportunities and business so that he can keep on helping the others to excel. He is not doing this solely for himself but for everyone. For him, God will only help those who are willing to work hard. Determination, hardworking and never give up easily are his keys in achieving success. Conclusion In a nutshell, everybody have an equal chance to be successful. Nothing can stop us from being successful unless it is you. If you want to achieve something, you have to work for it. We should follow what Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary did in order to gain a wealth for now and here after. He will not forget his own root and keep on helping those who need helps. Wealth is not meant for alone, but to be share around. Al Bukhari Mosque Eric Leong Background Eric Leong is a name synonym to the world of interior decorating. He was born in Kluang, Johore and was raise in the capital, Johor Bahru . He further his studies in the neighboring country, Singapore after completing his formal education in Malaysia. Eric graduate with a double degree in Interior Design and Business Studies. [4] With his cheerful and gleeful character Eric has won the heart of Malaysian and he was voted Malaysia most favorite interior designer. Career Eric make a breakthrough in 2001 through his reality interior design show, Casa Impian. The show help average Malaysia transform their home into heaven on earth with his extraordinary talent, he could turn a normal space into a work of art, which dubbed him as Raja Hias / the Design King of Casa Impian. [4,5] Why and how he can be success? Eric Leong is a creative innovator that leads him to be a successful entrepreneur. He would think out of the box and try on new things. He is never been stopped by new challenges. For him, expose himself in new environment and expose in new things is great. He is good in applying the knowledge that he learn in university in real life. Designing may not be a simple things as everyone has different point of views opinions. It is even hard to please all peoples need. However, Eric Leong sees this as a challenge in life. He would try his best to create a design that can satisfied every each of the people. Multi tasking Eric Leong holds a number of positions: [5] 1. Group Design Director for Designcity Sdn. Bhd. 2. Group Consultant/Acting General Manager for Beverly Home Sdn. Bhd. 3. Creative Consultant for Living Taste (Malaysias first Chinese interior design magazine 4. Associate Producer/Host for Casa Impian (Malaysias first interior design make-over show. 5. Associate Producer for Ratu Sehari (TV Wedding showcase). 6. Appointed stylist for Home Pride and Living Taste. 7. Columnist for leading magazines Home Pride, Living Taste, Health Today, Herba. 8. Product Designer for Lush Living by Eric Leong the furniture series. 9. Product Designer for Playground by Eric Leong the lighting series. 10. Guest DJ @ FM988 Chinese Radio talk show U Stylish Living (A Star RFM radio) 11. Guest DJ @ RED FM104.9 English Radio Talk Show Living With Eric (AStar RFM radio) 12. Guest DJ @ SURIA FM105.3 -Bahasa Malaysia Decor Radio Talk Show Inspirasi DÃÆ'Â ©cor Bersama Eric. 13. Guest DJ @ SURIA FM 105.3 Bahasa Malaysia Lifestyle Radio Talk Show Inspirasi Gaya Bersama Eric. 14. Lecturer @ Raffles International Design Institution (KL Campus). 15. Committee Member for Malaysia International Fashion Award (MIFA 2005) 16. Art Director for Malaysia International Fashion Award (MIFA 2006) 17. Chief Judge (Best presentation award for Malaysia International Furniture Fair (MIFF) 18. Media Spoke Person for Johor Interior Design Association (JiDA) 19. Ambassador of Homedec Malaysia Premier home decoration exhibition. 20. Ambassador of Maxima Thai Branded Walk-in-wardrobe system. 21. Ambassador of SSF Malaysia premier home dÃÆ'Â ©cor mark. Robert Kuok Background Robert Kuok Hock Nien more commonly known as Robert Kuok is the richest entrepreneur in Malaysia and also South East Asia [6]. He is currently rank 33 in the Forbes Richest Man Alive List [7]. Robert Kuok is the youngest son. He is born in Johor Bahru on 6 October 1923[6]. After graduated from the Raffles Institution, he started working in the grains department of Japanese Industrial company Mitsubishi from 1942 to 1945. Career After the death of his father, Robert Kuok founded Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd together with his two brothers in 1949 [8].This business plainly deals with agricultural commodities. He managed to buy cheap sugar from India in the year 1961 right before the sugar price shot up. His business expanded heavily until he managed to control 80% of the Malaysian sugar market. Due to this, he earned his nickname Sugar King of Asia [9]. Robert Kuok expanded his varied his business field by involving himself in hospitality field. In 1971, he built his first ever Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, then he open his second Hotel in Hong Kong called the Kowloon Shangri-La [8]. He also owns a big stakes of the Hong Kong real estate group Kerry Properties. Other than that he also owns the freight interests include Malasian Bulk Carriers Berhad and Transmile Group. Robert Kuoks compnies have investment in many counties. He even has ten bottling company for Coca Cola and the ownership of the Beijing World Trade Centre. On October 31 2009, Robert Kuok has decided to sells his sugar units along with the land used to cultivate sugar cane to Felda for RM1.29 billion. This transaction had directly boosted his companys income as his sugar unit and sugar cane plantation were the second largest segment upon its grain and feed [8]. Robert Kuok has eight children from his two marriages. He has retired officially from the Kerry Group on April 1st 1993. He is currently resides in Hong Kong [8]. Hallmark Robert Kuok has several hall marks which made what he is today. I believe that in order to achieve success, a strong and noble family background is definitely a great advantage. Robert Kuok is famous for his strong noble family background. He was brought up by his mother. Since young, his mother had taught him according to Ru-Jiao which is also known as the teaching of Confucius. His mother is very particular with the values of honesty. That is why he managed to gain respect and trust from others. With this, his business expands smoother and faster than others. Besides having a strong family background, Robert Kuok also has a strong family bond. This is justified as his company, Kuok Brothers Limited was established with the cooperation among his brother and cousins. All of them are very unite in this establishment of the company. They obey to Robert Kuoks mothers order. With a strong bond among them, it is very difficult for others to attack them. This is why the Kuok Brothers Limited can last for such a long period and still standing strong. Robert Kuok also practice good attitude in life. He is a positive, hardworking and sensitive person. Robert Kuok once said that As a young man, I thought there was no substitute for hard work and thinking up good, honest business plans and, without respite, pushing them along. There will always be business on earth. Be humble; be straight; dont be crooked; dont take advantage of people. To be a successful businessman, I think you really need to brush all your senses every morning, just as you brush your teeth. I coined the phrase honing your senses in business: your vision, hearing, sense of smell, touch and taste. All these senses come in very useful [9]. The fourth factor is his way of hiring workers. Robert Kuok hires his workers wisely and he always remembers to acknowledge them. He has never forgets the contributions of all of his colleagues and employee. He even thanked his very first batch of workers personally in hisKuok Groups 60th Anniversary speech. Robert Kuok is very particular in hiring workers. According to him, honesty, hardworking and intelligence are the main criteria that he looks for. When I look candidates in the eye, they must appear very honest to me. I do not look for MBAs or exceptional students. You may hire a brilliant man, summa cum laude, first-class honours, but if his mind is not a fair one or if he has a warped attitude in life, does brilliance really matter? [10]said Robert Kuok. Being humble is a reason that made Robert Kuok a successful man. He has been very humble all this while as he always remembers that once a person is arrogant, the person guard will be lowered. As a result, the person is defeated easily by his rivals. Robert Kuok is very alert with every step he has taken. Most of us will think that if we can capitalize a field, we shall receive a great outcome. However, according to Robert Kuok, sometime capitalism will leads to destruction if we do not inspect it well. He said that Capitalism needs to be inspected under a magnifying glass once a day, a super-magnifying glass once a week, and put through the cleaning machine once a month.[10] He also said that we cannot let greed controls us. Once this happens, the result may be fatal. At the end of the day, despite all the success Robert Kuok has made, he always makes it a point to repay the society. He had set up a foundation called the Kuok Foundation to help out students that are facing financial problem in order to pursue their studies. He even gives out scholarships to students who are studying in either private or public universities. The Kuok family firmly believed in its social responsibility to share its wealth and good fortune with the less fortunate. [11] Achievements Robert Kuok has managed to win several awards for his success in his lifetime. He was honored on the Forbess Worlds Billionaire list, ranking at a respectable number 33. He has also earned the title as Tan Sri in Malaysia. The noblest achievement by Robert Kuok is arguably the Kuok Foundation that was established by the Kuok family. The philanthropists vision is to alleviate poverty and reduce the economic disparities between the rich and poor communities in Malaysia. The foundation offers scholarship for student from not well to do family, to provide them with education that they needed to bring them out of poverty. Picture of Mr. Robert Kuok Hock Nien [10] LIM GOH TONG Background Lim Goh Tong was born in the year 1918 in Anxi. He was the fifth child in his family. When he was born, China was in the period of turmoil as the Xinhai Revolution was just over. However, Lim Goh Tong was lucky as he was brought up in a peaceful environment. He even had the chance to acquire knowledge from school until he was 16, which is when his father passed away [12]. Lim Goh Tong decided to come to Malaya in year 1937 as the condition of China was becoming worse [12]. He worked for his uncle as a carpenter for two years when he first reached here [13]. During that period, he learned to speak the Malay language. After gaining enough experiences, he involved himself in building a double storey secondary school as a sub contractor. Picture of the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong [17] Career Lim Goh Tong is well known as a risk taker. Before the development of Genting, he had involved himself in various fields. During the Japanese Occupation, he had tried working as a farmer, as a petty trader and as a scrap metal and hardware trader. After the Japanese Occupation, he engaged in the second- hand machinery trading. From there, he managed to earn his first fortune. Other than machinery, he also involved in iron mining, and even construction field. His family construction company Kien Huat Private Limited became well known after completed many major projects successfully. One of the biggest deals was the Ayer Itam Dam [13]. However, he also faced difficulties throughout his life as a constructor. He even faced bankruptcy when dealing the Kemubu Irrigation Scheme. Lim Goh Tong had the idea of Genting Highland when he was having dinner in Cameron Highland [14]. Then he started to collect information and decided that Genting Sempah is the most ideal place to build a hilltop resort. For this project, he had dumped in all of his fortune. He even put aside all the negative comments from his friends and relatives. Genting was granted the first ever Casino licence after Tunku Abdul Rahman. The whole Genting project was done in January 1971 and started the business in May 1971. In the next 30 years, Genting has evolved from wilderness to a developed tourist attraction township. Cable car system is provided to tourist as an alternative route. He even built a new township known as Gohtong Jaya on a land around the Genting Skyway cable car system [14]. Lim Goh Tongs company, Genting Group has diversified into various field ranges from plantation to oil and gas and even to cruise boat industry. Lim Goh Tong was married to Lim Kim Hua. They have altogether six children and nineteen grandchildren [12]. He wrote a book titled My Story Lim Goh Tong and it was published in year 2004. Lim Goh Tong passed away on 23 October 2007 in Subang Jaya Medical Center leaving behind a USD4.2 billion fortune and a huge legacy [14]. Achievements Lim Goh Tong had won many awards throughout his extraordinary life [12]. After taking a huge gamble and setting up a hillside resort, and proving all the doubters wrong, Lim Goh Tong was awarded the title Tan Sri in 1976 as a token for his contribution in booming the countrys tourism industry. This is followed by the Malaysian Entrepreneur Award in 1985, his first major award. This is followed by the Manager of the Year award the following year. As his pet project bloom and in 1994 he honored the Business Achiever of the year in 1994. Genting was awarded the Number 1 ranking Malaysian Leading Companies in 1996 and icing on the cake was the Best Employer Award at the same year. Apart from his success in business he still gives back to the society through his foundation, the Yayasan Lim. The foundation helps out those who are in need by providing scholarship for deserving student, and contribute to charitable causes. Hallmark From the start when Lim Goh Tong came to Malaysia, he already shown the hallmark of a true champion. He can only speak hokkien, mandarin, Cantonese and some broken Malay language [16]. He can neither speak nor write English [13]. However, this limitation in language did not stop him in his negotiation of all of his business contracts. Against all odd, he prove that language is never a barrier to success. When Lim first had the idea of Genting Highland, he received many negative comments from his relatives and friends. However, he had successfully put all of these comments aside. On the other hand, he put in more effort into this project. Lim Goh Tong once said that Once the goals have been clearly defined, with the greatest amount of determination and hard work, one can conclusively realise ones goals. [14].He a great determination shown is clearly admirable especially to the younger generation, that when we put our mind to it, we can achieve anything. His humbleness that keep him grounded despite his success and status as a Tan Sri have won applause and was admired among his peers. Tan Sri Lim Gait Tong, president of the Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia paid tribute and said in Lims farewell word, He had undergone more difficulties and challenges than any other entrepreneur, before he became successful in his business. However, he remained a friendly, sporting and humble person who was actively involved in charitable activities. [12] Lim was well known as a risk taker. The idea of building a resort on top of the hill is very costly and the outcome is not guaranteed. He had spent all of his fortune in conducting this project [12]. However, he foresees that one day, Malaysians will desire for a cool mountain holiday resort. This is due to the countrys weather and also the economy stability. He is very brave yet very careful in conducting this project. Behind every successful man, there is a successful woman. In Lims case, behind Genting Group, there are many workers. Lim always believed that is the people that run the organization. This project will never success if its a one man show. The Best Employer Award that he won in year 1996 has proven that he is a employer who care and look after his employees Lim Goh tong had set up a foundation called the Yayasan Lim which donates regularly to educational and medical institutions and other charitable organization [12]. Lim is never stingy in donating money. As a result of generosity, he gained more respect from others and of course adding his own karma Picture of the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong [17] Tony Fernandes Background The name Tony Fernandes or now, with the Title Dato Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes, is already a household name not only in Malaysia, but throughout the ASEAN region, and beyond especially in the aviation industry. Born 30 April 1964, inKuala Lumpurto aGoanfather andMalacca Portuguesemother, the late Stephen Edward Fernandes and Ena Dorothy Fernandez. When he was young, he used to follow his mother, who is aTupperwaredealer to parties and conventions [18]. Tony Fernandes was sent on a jet plane in 1976 at the tender age of 12 to Epsom College, London. The wishes of his parents on enrolling him into a fancy boarding school that is associated with Medicine, like all great leader, he made a total 180 degree turn and end up graduating in London School of Economics in 1987 [19]. But during his years in the boarding school, young Tony was home sick and pleas to be home, but due to the high airfare, his parents does not allow him to be home even during the holidays. From that day onwards it was his ultimate dream to provide low cost flights. Career Tony Fernandes raise to one of the celebrated and successful entrepreneur and innovator start with unorthodox route. He took the road that is less taken. He start as financial controllerforVirgin RecordsinLondon owned by his current partner in Air Asia X, Sir Richard Brenson.Upon his return toMalaysia, he became the countrys youngest-evermanaging directorfor Warner Music. He was responsible for turning ethnic music and transforms them into the mainstream Malaysian music. He raise to the occasion and got promoted to be theSouth East Asianregional vice-president forWarner Music Groupfrom 1992-2001.During the merging of Time Warner merged with CNN, there are many unrest among the employee,, like many others, Tony protest the merge and resign [20] Tony went back to London to pursue his dream to own a low cost no frill airline. His inspiration came from his friend, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who is the founder of the Easy Group, who made British Airways a run for their money. Flying Barcelona to Paris for less than 10Â £, amaze Tony and he thinks that business model is able to apply in ASEAN, with the capacity of 500 millions, the potential is huge [21]. Tony Fernandes return home, Malaysia to lobby his idea to the then Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamed who gave his blessing to Tony on the condition he took over an Air Asia, a struggling GLC, with a Rm 40 million debt and only 2 elderly 737s. Tony agrees and took over the company for a token price of Rm 1 [19]. And from there they say the rest is history. From an airline with just a couple of 737s, it currently has 76 aircraft, 25 Airbus A330s . Last year it carried 19millions passengers within the Asia Pacific region [22]. Hallmark Like all successful leader, Tony Fernandes have the all the hallmark that made him who he is today. One of the main trademarks of his success is his vision and his know-how on what actually the consumer wants [23]. His hand on approach is one to be admired. Busy with various venture for example tune hotel, tune talk and Lotus Formula one, Tony Fernandes still find time for his main priority, which is Air Asia, his leadership based on the principal Practice what you preach always apply. Every month he spends his time in various division of Air Asia, from day as a baggage-handler to a cabin crew. He has even established a division to hold gathering among the staffs [19]. A close bond with his staff creates a friendly working environment with equal opportunities for everyone is the main ingredient behind of the success of Air Asia, according to Tony the company works as a family. Achievement With Air Asia, Tony have won a lot of awards, locally and internationally, but the biggest honor arguably when he was inducted into the Aviation hall of fame in2009 for shaping the aviation industry evolve. During the same award ceremony Air Asia and its sister company Air Asia X also was awarded Airline of the year. To add icing on the cake, Tony was the youngest recipient of the award [24]. He quote saying You would be a legend only because of the people behind you, acknowledging the Air Asia team behind his success. Apart from his award, the biggest award for him was gaining the landing right to Singapore breaking years of monopoly on the Kuala Lumpur- Singapore route by Singapore and Malaysia Airlines [25],also the exclusive long haul flight from Kuala Lumpur -London, achieving his boyhood dream [26] . Like his tagline Now everyone can fly , certainly everyone do now. . Background When mention about fashion and design, there are always 5 top places that are associated with. London, Paris, Milan, New York and Los Angles. These are regarded as the fashion capital of the world [27]. Top designers brand like Calvin Klien, Tommy Hilfiger, Prada, Burberry and Versace kept their base. Almost all the human race pick up a magazine like vogue to follow the latest trend. But when mention Malaysia, there is a lot of blur facial expression and question mark. This is because Malaysia is not known to produce a lot of fashion designers, but when mention about Jimmy Choo, Hollywood leading ladies from the fashionista like Sarah Jessica Parker [28], latina beauty Jennifer Lopez [19] and even the English Rose, the late Princess Diana [30]. Thus there is no doubt about this Malaysian innovator have change the fashion industry with his sleek and creative design of hand-made shoe. Born into a family of shoe maker, in Penang Jimmys father Choo Kee Yinis a successful shoe maker himself. Jimmy also describe his mother as as being very good at shoemaking [31]. Jimmy made his first pair of shoe at a tender age of 11 [32]. He is perhaps the most notable of students of Cordwainers Technical College in London Borough ofHackney, Londonfrom which he graduated in 1983. The college is now part of theLondon College of Fashion. Career Jimmy have a humble start, as he graduates, he works in a local shoe factory and slowly opened his own workshop in Hackney, London by renting an old hospital building [31]. His career took off when Vogue magazine featu

Educational Histories Of Korean Americans Essay

The first emigration of Korean’s occurred in the eighth century when they immigrated to Japan because of famine, high government taxes and natural resources. Towards the end of 19th century, few Koreans moved to the US. Initially, only three political refugees migrated in 1885, followed by five others in 1899. Five years later, 64 Koreans joined them to attend theological institutions in Hawaii and were later repatriated upon completion of their studies. The Japanese and Chinese were among the major workers working in Hawaii but were not allowed to work in the US. The aggressive marketing strategy saw Hawaii as the journey to the top where in 1905, over 7000 mainly bachelors had been recruited plantations of which only 2000 made it back to their families because of the expensive lifestyle of Hawaii. The Japanese government was angered by increasing Korean migration to the US, and banned further migration from peninsula in 1905. This relaxed in 1907 by the Gentlemen Agreement Act that allowed Korean husbands to join their wives in the US. Education History of American Koreans The American Korean education history started in 1907 and 1923 majority being students and political refugees who escaped assassination from the oppressive Japanese government. Notable among the political refuges was Syngman Rhee became the first president of South Korea. He emigrated as a student and graduated with a doctorate from the famous Princeton University in 1910 and later launched a protest against the government of Japan. He later escaped to US when he was hunted to be arrested. Migration rules became stringent allowing only women and the quota system was introduced by the US that restricted more 150 Koreans per year. Immigration rules were twisted to give preference to professionals, with technical skills where Korean women who were married to American military were naturalized following McCarran-Waltern 1952 act. The 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act phased out the quota system where by Rules were relaxed and gave preference to Koreans with relatives in American and to professionals. Their education was highly valued and encouraged. Students were put under pressure to excel in academics to increase their chances of employment. In 1980 the figure of Korean American’s who were over 25 years of age with a high school education stood at 78. 1% against an overall 65% for all Americans. About 33. 7% were four year college graduates against a low of 16. 2 for the whole US population. Korean Americans have been known to do well in sciences but they still perform better in other subjects. American Koreans have grown significantly to 1. 3 million at the beginning of this century. Cultural stereotypes propagated through generations have effectively contributed to this gender imbalance in educational training and employment. Women have had to content with domestic chores whereas society has exempted men from such responsibilities. The job market has greatly discriminated Korean American women despite their high professions as doctors, teachers, lawyers and engineers which resorted to working as typists, cashiers, clerks especially in textile industries Language barrier contributing being perceived passivity. During the migration they were barred from taking formidable employment in the US by restrictive discriminatory rules on citizenship leading to lower paying jobs as waiters, houseboys, janitors which were poorly remunerated and some ended up opening up private businesses. Sample Research questions From the history of American Koreans above the following research questions come up 1. How has Korean culture and religion been influenced by American Korean education? 2. How did culture, language and education affect Korean immigrants in employment? 3. Has western education benefited American Koreans? 4. How has cultural stereotypes affected education among American Korean women? 5. What is the perception on Korean American in their home country?

Market Structure Of A Business - 1357 Words

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Slaughterhouse-Five The Novel and the Movie Essay examples

Slaughterhouse-Five: The Novel and the Movie In 1972 director George Roy Hill released his screen adaptation of Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five (or The Childrens Crusade; A Duty Dance With Death). The film made over 4 million dollars and was touted as an artistic success by Vonnegut (Film Comment, 41). In fact, in an interview with Film Comment in 1985, Vonnegut called the film a flawless translation of his novel, which can be considered an honest assessment in light of his reviews of other adaptations of his works: Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971) turned out so abominably that he asked to have his name removed from it; and he found Slapstick of Another Kind (1984) to be†¦show more content†¦Slaughterhouse-Five has two narrators, an impersonal one and a personal one, resulting in a novel not only about Dresden but also about the actual act of writing a novel - in this case a novel about an event that has shaped the author profoundly. The novels themes of cruelty, innocence, free will, regeneration, survival, time, and war recur throughout Vonneguts novels, as do some of his characters, which are typically caricatures of ideas with little depth. Another mainstay is his use of historical and fictional sources, and yet another is his preference for description over dialogue. These aspects of Vonneguts literary style make the adaptation of Vonnegut to the screen all the more difficult. Ironically, many Vonnegut novels flow with a cinematic fluidity. As described in Film Comment, Vonneguts literary vocabulary has included the printed page equivalents of jump-cuts, montages, fades, and flashbacks. And his printed pace even feels filmic, as he packs his scenes tightly together, butting them against each other for maximum, often jarring, effect (42). Slaughterhouse-Five, as the title page points out, is written by a fourth-generation German-American who fought as an American infantry scout and who as a prisoner of war, witnessed the fire-bombing of Dresden ... and survived to tell the tale. It is a novel somewhat in the telegraphic schizophrenic mannerShow MoreRelatedThe Madness of War1458 Words   |  6 Pagesprisoner of war during World War II inspired his critically hailed novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), in which characters continually search for meaning in the aftermath of mankind’s irrational cruelty (Kurt Vonnegut: 1922-2007 287). Both the main character, Billy Pilgrim, and Vonnegut have been in Dresden for the firebombing, and that is what motivates their narrative (Klinkowitz 335). 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Throughout Vonnegut novel Billy Pilgrim, a WWII soldier who was captured by the Germans and held captive as an American POW (prisoner of war), demonstrates several extreme compulsive tendencies due to the horrific events he witnessed as an American POW victim. After reading of Billy’s experiences, I did not have faith in the movies abilityRead MoreA Sardonic Novel, Kurt Vonnegut’s â€Å"Slaughterhouse Five736 Words   |  3 PagesKurt Vonnegut’s â€Å"Slaughterhouse Five† is a sardonic novel chronicling the experiences of Billy Pilgrim, a World War II veteran, survivor of the Dresden firebombing, and protagonist of the novel. Billy is a very unreliable narrator who has become â⠂¬Å"unstuck in time†. Billy is constantly journeying through time; at one moment he’s a flourishing optometrist and the next he’s a prisoner of war in Germany. Billy is forced to deal with an existential crisis presented forth by the great destruction he witnessesRead MoreAn Opinion Without Context. Whenever Observing Anything,1733 Words   |  7 PagesObserving a movie, without knowing when, where, and why it was created means it will not contain the same impact as it might otherwise. Take the Japanese film Gojira, which when originally created was an absolute scathing message regarding the effects of nuclear warfare, but observed by a non-native audience, the film ceases to be a message and starts to appear as a simple film about gigantic monsters. This phenomenon is as observable with Slaughterhouse Five as any other form of media. Slaughterhouse FiveRead MoreEssay on Kurt Vonnegut’s novels Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five1365 Words   |  6 PagesVonnegut’s novels Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five demonstrate the ineptness of the human race to base our life and happiness off of intricate and interwoven lies, or off of a single point of view. Kurt Vonnegut was born in the United States, Indianapolis, however he was sent to Europe to fight in the â€Å"Battle of the Bulge† in December 1944, as a battalion scout. He was taken prisoner and transported to Dresden, Germany; here he was held in an abandoned meat locker below a slaughterhouse. VonnegutRead MoreWar is Inevitable and Death is Too1111 Words   |  5 PagesKurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is a satire on the behaviors of man. Often characterized as an anti-war novel, Slaughterhouse-Five tries to show that war and destruction are a part of the human life cycle. Humanity is highly conflict prone; conflict resolution often manifests itself in the terms of war. Vonnegut attempts to show that war results in widespread death and destruction; therefore, war and death are inevitable. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut explores the inevitability ofRead More Comic and Tragic Elements in Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse Five1485 Words   |  6 PagesComi c and Tragic Elements in Slaughterhouse Five    Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., is the tale of a World War II soldier, Billy Pilgrim. His wartime experiences and their effects lead him to the ultimate conclusion that war is unexplainable. To portray this effectively, Vonnegut presents the story in two dimensions: historical and science-fiction. The irrationality of war is emphasized in each dimension by contrasts in its comic and tragic elements. The historical seriousnessRead MoreKurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five Essay1311 Words   |  6 Pagesand five scouts were caught behind enemy lines, and then captured. They were held POWs and were beaten on various occasions. In 1945, they witnessed the fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany. Kept during this time in a slaughterhouse, this is part of the inspiration for Slaughterhouse-five. After being released from the Slaughterhouse, Vonnegut called Dresden â€Å"utter destruction† and â€Å"carnage unfathomable†. This distressing time in his life led to one of the many themes of Slaughterhouse-five whichRead MoreSlaughterhouse Five By Kurt Vonnegut Essay1560 Words   |  7 Pageswith his mother (notable biographies). After attending Cornell University Vonnegut enlisted into World War II. His experiences in World War II shaped his anti-war novel Slaughterhouse-Five. Slaughterhouse-Five was published â€Å"during the peak of protest against American involvement in the Vietnam war† (Notable Biographies). Slaughterhouse-Five appears to be semi autobiographical because it includes events that Vonnegut himself experienced, but is written instead about a character named Billy Pilgrim.