Travel - To Buy or Not

Just like a Mackers Burger or a Prada handbag can be charged with varying prices around the world, so can an Apple IPhone. 

Would you factor in purchases as part of your next holiday agenda? Shopping in the USA is a significant activity for sports products, clothes and accessories. Local taxes, tips and currency exchange do figure well into such decisions of buying away from home. 

There may be no need to travel as cyberspace does offer a huge convenience and discount on prices and physical delivery. Where nations require you to be a local to be entitled to those attractive prices, there are also ways and means for foreigners to pose as such locals to qualify. The meaning of market bargaining has been expanded with various strong tactics on discounts during a tight time window, bulk empowerment and cutting out on retail front costs. 

Commercialism thrives on convincing a buyer of not to miss obtaining a product, whether through the need to have the latest version, to keep up with trends or with making passé workable but previous editions of the same product. This churns turnover, vital to pump up revenue and meet performance targets to meet shareholder approval and senior executive bonuses. The world is now the endless horizon for possibilities, requiring smart play offs in pricing and availability on markets that can increasingly have higher purchasing power. 

The Technology Price Index of 2017 lists an attractive average price of around $414 for an Apple IPhone in Japan, compared to $575 in Australia. Figures for Malaysia are $532, India 505 and China $471. (All US Dollars quoted). Does that mean just visiting your chosen foreign country to buy at a lower price? It can be more complicated than just this. 

There are product specs that can make technology products not so easily usable in another market or nation. Unlike clothes, barriers do exist to allow a typical consumer access to the best possible price with the most features. They can be compatibility, market protection of margins and economic factors like inflation. 

Overall, it makes for a very interesting and varied field when trying to secure your top ten most exciting personal purchases. A rare book, a motivating sports shoe, a car model or a unique orchid. The best markets to secure products usually synchronise with environments with high governance standards, more open trading conditions and more stable political climates. Where trade and commerce is encouraged, you can usually bet on your best prices for your personal pet list of purchases. Countering this is the high cost of living, unusual constraints on personal freedoms, state of civil unrest and small size of markets in the nations where you want to buy. 

Agendas of Society, Business and Government

At the macro dimension, why do we change things when there are no issues with an incumbent model? Alternatively, why do we not change things when there is an obvious track record of misgivings, defects, negative customer service and poor leadership?

1. The Games the Super Rich and Powerful Play.
Human society and its mechanisms of power, politics and wealth control can be complex but also fascinating. The upper echelon of human beings do not reveal all to the masses to protect and continue the privileges, comfort and excesses of enjoying life at the top. Whether change occurs or not, some group has significant stakes in not wanting to shake or wanting to change the status quo. At the same time, when transactions occur, there is always opportunity for a cut of the action and funds for brokers and middlemen.

2. Relying on Shaping Skewed Opinions Rather Than Doing the Ethical Thing.
The shapers of public influence can be bought with huge money. Whether they are political parties, traditional media, social media, telecommunications players and those that pop up now and then to feed a growing niche, the days of simple social influence are now bypassed by the current age of powerful analytics, tampered messages and hidden networks of sophisticated players. 

3. The Costs of Playing With a Two Edged Sword.
The psyche of human beings can be to undermine or muck up things when it need not be. This used to be referred to as Murphy's Law. At the same time, what seems to be a solution on the surface and interim turns out to generate further problems on implementation. What felt like opportunity could turn a business or organisation on to the slippery slope.

Technology is supposed to provide more ease and improvement in the quality of life, but the very same technology can also intrude your privacy, facilitate breaches, hold one to ransom and encourage alternative thinking. Easier mobility of travel is now accompanied by higher risks in personal and collective security. Carrying out more of our lives depending on the Internet dehumanises each of us more than we know or realise. 

Technology can effectively bring down financial costs, but also at the same time lower practice standards in compliance and play short shift with other drivers.

4. Selective Smokescreens.
The politicians we elect to office make very obvious selective choices in raising issues for impact to their careers and party survival. 

In Australia, the alarming numbers of huge drug seizures, carnage of road accidents, excessive alcohol consumption at sports events, the disenfranchisement of our youth, accelerating health care costs and rising gambling addiction do not raise as many alarm bells in the various levels of Parliament as the personality conflicts in politics, the articulate complaints of so called victims of political incorrectness, the flux of marginal support levels for the Government in power and the balancing of embedded interests behind an elected leader. 

5. The Push for Relentless Turnover.
Contemporary society, perhaps driven by economics academics, seem to be more obsessed with reporting statistics, poll results and trends rather than finding practical solutions. The churning of figures, as seen by daily movements in share prices, index counters and currency exchange, seem to primarily serve hedging and speculative trading rather than provide any useful indicators. This has led to making money out of air rather than based on actual asset values.

6. Who Blinks First?
Hyping up the benefits of change when those changes in reality do not deliver can bring much disappointment and damage to reputation. 

A continuing series of significant misdemeanours inflicted on customers under the same key commercial leadership would have meant the unacceptable loss of face and immediate resignation in Japanese culture. Boards and shareholders in Australia seem to side with senior management rather than employees and other human people - until the swirling fan hits unavoidable shit. 

7. Short sighted Views and Rewards.
We cannot blame only the Millennials for their need for instant gratification. Older generations have shown significant penchant by hugely rewarding individuals and companies for short term but spectacular profits and results, some of which are not sustainable. So problems can be brushed over as long as the big bacon is brought home and there is no need to bother quelling some huge fires in disparate parts of the Empire. 

8. The Rise and Ruse of Public Communications.
The art of convincing, rationalising and justifying developments has taken to a different level in the history of human speak. One finds many official communiques side stepping the core questions, provides answers out of context and paints positive points about an organisation even if that was not asked for. So it can lead to a balletic self talk of supporting spending on white elephants. 

This art of allowing public relations primarily manage an issue, instead of actually removing the causes of the problem, may have seeped internally within a business when the leadership and Board are only told of what they want to hear.

9. Reduced Effectiveness of the Regulatory Authorities.  
Political grandstanding, withholding of funding ( until an event strikes), a non supportive corporate culture and the attitude of key shareholders all can negatively impact on the capability, efficiency and development of reliable regulatory units, either within or external to the business. 

10. The Comfort Zone at the Top of the Tree.
An organisation or business can become so large the reporting lines are sandbagged with provincial passions, territorial possessiveness and distracting politics, until the key interests of the institution or whom they really serve are de-emphasised. There can be smaller institutions which still have a larger than life ego than what they are meant to be.

Value for Money, Experience and Perception

Can we fully rely on perceptions, survey outcomes and statistical sampling?

Around 43000 people in 52 nations over last December and January were asked on their views of the quality of country based products and manufactures. Statista has released the survey outcomes for 2017 and announced that the highest accolades of respect for the latest Made in Country rankings go to Germany, given a score of 100. Think of sports, automobile and machinery labels. 

Most of the countries rated in the top ten are in Europe, with Switzerland narrowly behind Deutschland. The UK scored 91 out of 100, with Sweden taking in at 90 - Italy and France scored in the eighties. Authenticity, sustainability, advanced technology, fair production, security standards and quality were factored in together with other measures like status symbols, value for money, uniqueness and design attractiveness. 

The Made in Germany label long ago was perceived to be poor compared to British Empire standards from a previous century. In 2017, China is ranked 49, India at 42 and Argentina at 30. Australia and NZ are respectively listed at 14 and 15. 

Japan remains the only non- European origin country in the top ten, tying with France and the USA with a score of 81. Both South Korea and Singapore chalked up 56 points, with neighbours Thailand and Malaysia neck to neck around 49 points. Products made in Israel are rated only 36 points.

There can be a combination of circumstances and challenges affecting perceptions of survey participants - historical reputation, marketing vibes, product availability, customer experience, pricing psychology, standards compliance, long term consistency and reliability, customer service, labour and materials sourcing plus political stability of the source country. Entertainment exposure, celebrity use, persistent improvement profiles and customer engagement also significantly help. 

Canada, Japan and Australia are the leading trio with the most positive changes over 12 months in perception for this Made in Country Index. What have these nations made and carried out to deserve this? It also emphasises the continuing efforts by the Japanese in implementing Kaizen. 

Not surprisingly, Italy leads in uniqueness and design; China in value for money; Germany for quality and security standards: Canada for sustainability and fair production; plus Switzerland for status symbols and authenticity.

The Industrial Revolution in western societies from another century continue to embed the quality rankings for products made there in the 21st century. The interesting question going forward is whether China, India, Latin America and selected Asian nations can rise up to this challenge. The other critical question is whether positive perceptions convert into actual purchases, increased business and rising revenues.

Dual Nationality - Thoughts

Dual citizenship can be good for commoners in trade, business and career making. Governments which allow this view this as an enhancement of the quality of life. 

However to hold political office in Australia, one cannot be a dual citizen. Two ex- Senators from the Greens recently stepped down from holding office after acknowledging they were also citizens of NZ and Canada. 

Today the Federal Minister for Resources and Northern Australia had to step down from Cabinet, after finding out his mother registered him as
an Italian citizen several years ago - without his knowledge until now. 

The need for devoted loyalty to the nation where you hold political office is obvious. It is as logical as having full dedication to the sole person you marry. It can be as passionate as one not being a supporter to more than one team in the Aussie sports codes like NRL and AFL. It can be as constrained as to your place of residence when Queensland and NSW fight it over three major games in the State of Origin series in winter. 

The apparent human instinct for unfettered loyalty in history drove significantly the formation of tribes, communities and nation states. It is a natural device for greater security and shared values, important to counter episodes of betrayal, sabotage and revenge. 

In several countries, even more significant is the loyalty to religion, race and ethnic culture of your chosen community or state. 

The legendary fear of having the enemy already implanted with or without suspicion in your own house can play out at different levels of the socio- political landscape. We learn of people having been interned in camps after they were booted out of their houses, when they are descended from countries at war with the nation of their citizenship. Japanese individuals did surface as spies for the Imperial Army when Singapore was taken over in the 1940s. In contrast, the Japanese in Hawaii showed their loyalty to the USA by forming the Nissei regiments to fight for their adopted country on the European war front. 

The Chinese diaspora is significantly spread over the world. They do face higher risks of unusual treatment should warfare break out between China and their adopted nations. 

Such risks can rear their ugly head in a world with more diverse migrants in specific nations. An individual may have ultimate loyalty in his or her heart, but how can they convince governments, the pulse of local communities and their adopted nation of this sincerity?

It becomes more complex when such individuals have dual nationality. Part of this potential problem is mitigated by countries whose governments do not allow dual nationality at all. - for example, China, Singapore and Malaysia. 

I know of Australian citizens who have dual nationality mostly due to the welcome from their mother nations to continue to be still part of their cultural background. India and Italy come to mind. 

The privilege of having dual nationality must be handled with care. The ease with which humans travel and migrate can lead to the challenging interface with unexpected or logical issues that can arise later in life. 

If one remains a permanent resident in your adopted country, without taking up citizenship, you can feel like floating in between countries, being not accepted fully anywhere. You may have your reasons for being on this space but eventually it is better to decide and choose. In this respect, We are still keeping up with the reality of the power of the nation states.

Different passports also offer varying levels of access and quality of visa free options. Taxes, pensions and financial affairs require specialist consultation. In the day to day world beyond travel convenience, choosing your nationality can be complex.

Asia Pacific Airports - Musings

Do airport buildings, processing and customer experience reflect the best or worst of a specific city culture, collective attitude and population's behaviour?

Gold Coast International Airport has no passenger chutes that interface with arriving aircraft. Huddled between the ocean and the hills, it captures the feel of going easy like on a holiday escape. The sunlight is strong as passengers come outdoors to walk to immigration or transit. The check in bags take some time to come out, as there is a lack of urgency in the South Pacific.

Melbourne international airport terminal at Tullamarine has rather low level ceilings. The facility looks jaded for passengers. There is no dedicated fast track queue line for frequent business passengers. The experience does not echo the fact that Melbourne has been consistently rated by western observers as having as the best quality of life. 

Chep Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong is sited on an island in a typhoon impact area of southern China. The Airport Express train is rather efficient in moving arriving or leaving passengers in the shortest possible time from and to the city centre. Its popularity may mean no seating opportunity during crowded sessions. There is also the mystery of why Kowloon Station is dedicated to this airport train service only and is not connected to the primary MTR network more seamlessly. If you do buy a return Airport express ticket, be mindful to start the train journey back from the station where you first arrived.

Hong Kong Airport is also constructed like more for residents used to high rise living. Even getting to a flight departure gate may mean riding escalators ceaselessly as if you are on a shopping centre. No boarding announcements are offered in some airline lounges.

KLIA, where you land heading for the Malaysian capital, is built with so many large spaces it can often be under used. Its location amongst agricultural palm oil landscapes can mean your aircraft landing or taking off over unlit topography - and you having to allow some time before you step out in the city centre. The KLIA Airport Express takes longer to connect to KL when compared to the experience in Hong Kong. In both cities, you can check in your bags from a city based counter. Make extra time trying to negotiate with heavy bags entering into lifts required to make your way from the airport train to the departure level - the wait time at such lifts can be exasperating. 

Shantou Airport has possibly the most expensive bowl of noodles to consume once you get into the flight waiting zone.   The coffee is expensive compared to Western nation prices in Beijing.    Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore offer relatively tasty food for airport tuckers.

Despite replicating several Customs and border protection procedures from Sydney, Auckland International Airport is a much more relaxing experience for arriving passengers, especially appreciated when New Zealand is located at a rather remote part of the globe and it does take some time to reach there.   Perhaps the best process for declaring or not declaring stuff in bags can be found here - each officer stand behind a personalised podium, which provides clarity, orderliness and personalisation.   It is also relatively to be picked up once you are outside - a point lost by the operators of Penang International Airport.

Changi International Airport regularly upgrades their services in a competitive strategy for an island nation without natural resources - and with a full appreciation of the need to provide the best possibilities in transport hub experience. The inter terminal train service is a joy to ride - but passengers, once in their right terminals, may have to struggle walking over long distances to reach their far flung departure gates. Horizontal escalators help but can be over done. The presence of honking passenger assist vehicles does get irritating and such vehicles should not have the ability to be driven all over the pedestrian floors ( a dedicated path enhances safety).

Changi can get over the top with distracting decorations or activity corners. The availability of regular and fast connections to the city and its suburbs on the primary MRT network is a plus - Tullamarine in contrast stands out like a poppy flower in not having train connections at all to the city centre. 

The most simple - and effective - layout for an optimal passenger experience perhaps belongs to Hanoi's airport, Noi Bai. Small in size, passengers go through short but clear stages of the process necessary to board on or disembark from a plane. There are no distractions but that can however turn into a disadvantage if one has to wait long hours in the rather limited building. 

The Capital International Airport at Beijing emphasises everything large in size, with the need to process huge numbers of passengers and the underlying theme of growing capacity needs. You feel like in a cavernous castle with many rooms, huge courtyards and a hive of activity. Queues are essential but can get disjointed. It can be akin to travelling through the spaciousness of the Forbidden City downtown. 

Penang International Airport makes arriving passengers go through what can be illogical stages of walk stages and escalators before arriving on the ground floor to Immigration and to claim check in luggage.  The airport building is relatively small by cosmopolitan standards, so why not design a straight walk through to the formalities before getting out?   There is also a deja vu atmosphere of the stereotyped ruckus when a visitor finally comes out, accompanied by a blast of humidity, to face orderless traffic and parked vehicles whose drivers simply have no sense of civility whilst waiting for their pick ups.

Sydney's Kingsford-Smith Airport does better in providing vehicle parking spaces than in concentrating on better customer engagement and experience. With high charges for parking, whether for aircraft or cars, it has also turned off passengers when they face road traffic bottlenecks trying to reach the airport to take a flight. Disembarking from your flight at Sydney International often means facing long queues for checking by customs. Then it means facing over the top priced train tickets for a short ride to the city centre. 

The longest airport wait times for check in baggage claim are often at Sydney and KLIA. The shortest are at Hong Kong and Singapore - go figure.

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