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Various “golden” packages accorded to company executives as an incentive to stay (or leave) and as a reward for existing company executives. Whether they are justifiable rewards or extravagance is debatable but the law, as it goes, does not prohibit these incentives, provided of course the due process is observed.

A golden handshake is basically a reward for past services or a sweetener for an early departure, which can turn an executive’s departure into a lucrative move. It is meant to reward executives for their toil or in other instances, smoothen or hasten the path for exiting individuals. It is usually an ex-gratia payment or payment for loss of office made by an employer to an employee if the contract of employment is terminated.

Golden handshakes are almost synonymous with golden parachute. The golden parachute strategy is generally employed in the event of a takeover as takeovers or consolidations may bring about the need to recruit or retain executives due to a change in the organisation’s structure, especially when the consolidations result in redundancies in many executive positions. To remove these redundancies, a good attractive compensation package is offered to executives.

A golden handcuff seeks to “bind” or retain key employees in an organization. One common type of golden handcuff is employee stock option, where an employee is offered a stock in the company at a price that is usually at a substantial discount to its current market price.

A golden hello, on the other hand, is aimed at luring new employees into the organization by paying a sum that is the equivalent of several months of salary in lieu of notice he has to give to his current employer.

The use of body language is important in creating a favourable impression to the interviewers. Candidates could demonstrate their confidence, personality and interest in their application through appropriate body language.

Appearance – As a rule of thumb, it is always best to wear formal for an interview. This means a jacket for ladies, a shirt and tie for men, and no loud print.

Pre-interview Impression – While in the waiting room or reception area, pacing the room nervously, sitting slumped in a chair or frowning at the receptionist can all work against a candidate. A warm smile and a firm handshake is a great way to start the interview. The candidate is not advisable to sit until invited by the interviewer. Switch off the mobile phone before enter to the interview room. Remember to stand and sit upright as slouching will give the impression of not interested in the job or a sloppy worker.

Facial Impression – Maintaining good eye contact, smiling and nodding appropriately while listening to the interviewer projects a good impression. Avoid staring, squinting or glancing away as flitting eye movements can be distracting.

Arms and Hands – It is advisable to place on the lap if the candidate is sitting across the table from the interviewer. An open palm gesture is commonly regarded as a sign of openness and sincerity while a cross arms around chest is a strong sign of defensiveness.

Unconscious Gesture – Such as shaking legs under the table, biting nails, touching hair, fiddling with rings / earrings or constantly glancing at watch give the impression of nervous, not confident, uninterested or in a hurry to get out of the interview.

Private Space – Always respect the personal space of your interviewers. Avoid standing or sitting too close to them as this might annoy them or make them feel awkward. Do not tough their personal belongings like photo frames, paper weights or stationery.

The right knowledge, confidence, clear communication and positive body language should all come together to create success in job interviews.

Unsecured Stock — Unsecured loan stock is a source of long-term finance. It tends to be more costly than secured stocks as it carries higher risks.

Medium-term Source — Generally for more than one year, for example, bank loan (especially overdraft facilities). They are usually related to the purchase of current assets and fixed assets, The loan tenure extends for as long as 5-10 years. However, overdrafts regardless the previously agreed limits, take the chance of being called in a short notice and are therefore regarded as current liabilities. Besides, there is always a risk of over-ridding pressure from Treasury (through Central Bank Malaysia) that could emphasize the latest credit squeeze.

Mortgage — Normally raised on brick-and mortar assets, that the fixed annual interest (even without capital repayment) would pose some burden in difficult years. There may also be hire-purchase facilities for buying fixed assets, sale and lease-back opportunities, and equipment leasing.

Short-term Source — A temporary finance to tide or provide the buffer to level-out fluctuations in the working capital. Commercial banks would be the first supplier of short-term capital. A bank overdraft facility with daily interest of a percentage plus the bank’s base lending rate os a more versatile form of short-term capital.

Loans — The amount depends on:

- The organisation’s profit record;

- The collateral or security offered;

- The cash flow ability to repay the loan with interest within the date(s) agreed upon;

- The purpose for which the loan is required.

Trade-Bills (bills of exchange) — With regard to imports and exports. Normally self-liquidating over 30 days to 180 days. Hassle-free and are short-term borrowing from commercial banks or similar source.

Creditors — A short-term fund from suppliers and vendors. The credit terms provided depend on:

- An organisation’s financial policy;

- The relative size of the organisation involved;

- The importance of reciprocation;

- Established reputation;

- Any silimilar factors that subconciously or conciously need to be considered.

Cash Capital from Buyers

Capital — According to The American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd Edition 1985, capital means "wealth in the from of money or property owned, used, or accumulated in businesses by an individual, partnership or corporation. The remaining assets of a business after all liabilities have been deducted; net worth. The funds contributed to a business by the owners or shareholders.

Fundflow / Cashflow — The cashflow concept reflects changes in the sources and uses of funds employed in an organisation, by looking at what those funds are required for, and from where they could be sourced.

Capital is a "liability" — Fund raised are shown as liabilities in the balance sheet. The uses of funds are reflected as assets. Shared capital is considered as a liability too since the money would have to be repaid to the shareholders or investors by the company.

Permanent / Long-term Capital are issued from 2 main forms:

- Ordinary (equity) shares, with voting rights and the expectation of a fair rate of return. The shareholders assume the risks but share the rewards. They are really the owners of the business. They exercise control through a board of directors appointed from among their number.

- Preference Shares, with a prior claim to dividend. After ascertaining the total annual profit earned, the preference shareholders, if any, are paid their fixed dividends. What remains of that total becomes the property of the ordinary shareholders. Part of it is distributed to them as dividends and the rest ploughed back into the business to help further growth and the making of future profits.

Public Capital Market — A company secretary is concerned with the legal and administrative intricacies of dealing with the registration of new capital issues. New capital issues are undertaken using an issuing house, offer fo sale and private placing by brokers, tenders, rights issues or bonus issues. The board and management look at the advantages of going public and the status of having a stock exchange quotation. It is also a more permanent and relatively cheaper source of funds than perhaps outright borrowings from a financial institution.

Ordinary Share Capital and Total Capital — The ratio between these two capital is defined as "gearing". High gearing infers that the ordinary shareholders constitute only a small proportion of total capital. This represents a speculative investment for those shareholders. The reasons are:

- In bad year, preference shares and other long-term capital would absorb the profits through their fixed interest claim;

- while in a really good year, the balance of profit available to be shared among a relatively small number of ordinary shareholders could be considerably large.

Most candidates tend to use the following excuses when they refuse to attend an interview appointment offered by the employers:

–“I have got another offer.” – When you ask him / her further about the details of the offer, he / she will not able to tell. An experienced recruiter is able to judge from the conversation whether the candidate refuses to tell; or have nothing to tell, as he / she has no offer in fact.  Later on or in the future, the employer might advertise the same position again without disclosing the company name, and the candidate who rejected the offer earlier might have applied again, and the application reveals the truth.

–“I have something on and not able to come. May I let you know my next available time and call you again to fix another appointment?” or

– "I will call you to confirm the appointment.”

– He / she will never call you. And might not answer you calls / email as well. Finally, the employer has no choice but to put a negative remark on the candidates. Rejecting an employer directly if you are not interested in the application instead of delaying them.

–“Oh, I’ve forgotten!” – When he / she does not turn up on time and “accidentally” answer your call, you will get this most common excuse. When you offer him / her re-scheduling, he / she will find excuses to reject you. In fact it is quite impossible for a candidate to forget an appointment if he / she really sincere in the application. 

–“Your location is not my preferred place of work.” – This excuse is quite unreasonable, as the location of the company usually will be stated in the advertisement. The candidate is presumed to know his / her own application.

Tell the truth if you want to say "no" to an employer. It is alright to say "no" than lying.  

Many candidates unintentionally show no respect to the employer before the official interview session. They do not realize that they in fact give impression to the potential employer much earlier than their meeting.

Some of them sound very rude during the phone conversation while the appointment is to be fixed. They might not know that the person who coordinate the appointment might be the interviewer him / herself. They might not know that the interviewer might ask the opinion of the person who coordinate the appointment. No matter who is the caller, be respect from the beginning.

Some of them do not pay attention on the details of the appointment, including venue, required documents etc. They end up lost their ways therefore waste both owns’ and the interviewer’s time. Some candidates do not bring the documents as requested. These give very bad impression to the employer, as it shows disorganisation and lack concentration / attention.

Some candidates do not turn up on time. Some allowance is allowed, perhaps due to some unforeseen circumstances such as traffic situation, but shall not more than 15 minutes late. Some candidates do not even bother to call, when they expect to be late; or explain, or at least apologise on their lateness. In fact this shows the candidates’ irresponsibility, no time management and self-disciplinary.

Some candidates refuse to produce the requested documents, or reveal some information which according to them, confidential. An ethical recruiter will ask for the right things. An interview session is for both the employer and candidate to understand each other better. If both parties are too reserved in an interview session, it serves no purpose.

Besides showing professional appearance, good communication skills and other visible strengths during the interview session, the candidates shall help themselves to the best possible start by showing respect from the very beginning.

Be properly dressed and groomed — Dress and groom as if you work at the level you hope to reach next. Wear clothes that fit well and look good on you. Present the image you want for yourself at work.

Seek more responsibility — Look for ways to learn new concepts. Volunteer to help up in areas that you feel will make you an asset to the organisation. And ask advice from your peers about what you can do, to be more valuable to the organisation.

Learn on your own pace — Decide what you need to learn to get ahead or to get the job you want. Attend evening classes instead of watching TV at home. Read books and magazines on related subjects. Keep updated on the latest information, and what is going on in your field.

Get results — Look for some way to measure the results of your work. Keep records of what you do and compare your resulfs to past performance or the average performance of others in similar situations. Present what you do in numbers.

Do not quit — Perhaps a job just does not work out or you feel stagnated in the job, it is often better to begin looking for another job than to allow yourself to get negative. But ask for a job change within the organisation before you give up. Should you decided to leave, begin looking for a job but don’t share this decision with co-workers. Be positive. When you eventually find another job, give the contractual period of notice. Remember that your next employer will want to contactyour previous ones for references, so it pays as friendly and productive as possible in your final days!

Decision-making ability could be improved by study and practice of the following:

- Become aware of own’s values, and the conditions which support these values, as well as the choices which are available. Study situations carefully, in order to recognise more clearly the cause and effect of actions. Decisions which create conflicts are hard to carry out.

- Develop sensitivity to the individual responses of persons affected by the decision. Personalities differ, and a good manager is aware of the kind and amount of impact on individual persons as a consequence of a decision.

- Be objective in viewing the problem that demands decisions. Try to avoid making decisions when you are upset, tired, or under great stress. Be objective and specific. Focus on solving the problem, not on your emotions.

- Get the facts. Look at the situation in an unbiased way. Review your information clearly and evaluate it objectively.

- Realise that few decisions are irreversible.

- How does your experience qualify you for this job? - What are some of the things on your current job you have done well?

- What is the most difficult assignment you have had? - What part of your current job are you the most comfortable with?

- In the areas where your experience falls short for this job, what steps will you take to make up for this shortfall?

- How do you motivate yourself to complete unpleasant assignments?

- What unique skills or knowledge can you contribute to our company?

- What additional training or experience will we need to provide you in order to perform the duties of this position?

- What are your long-range and short-range goals and objectives? What and why do you establish these goals and how are you preparing yourself to achieve them?

- What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?

- What two or three things are most important to you in a job?

- What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal with it?

- What steps will you take to prepare yourself for this position?

- How have you dealt with conflicts / problems?

- What is your ideal working environment?

- Describe a typical day at your present position.

- What about yourself would you like to improve?

- Tell me your strength and weaknesses.

- Why do you think you would like to work for our company?

- What kind of supervisor do you prefer?

- What qualifications do you have that make you think you will be successful?

- What do you know about our company?

- What criteria are you using to evaluate the company for which you hope to work?

Traditional CEO’s Dilemma

- Balancing shareholder demands with achieving longevity ir sustainability.

- Focussing on the design and development of systems and processes while paying some attention to the "people" in the organisation.

Today CEO’s Dilemma

- Providing an environment that espouses individual freedom while ensuring the financial and non-financial targets of the organisation are met.

- The people in the organisation control the systems and processes and not have the people controlled by the systems.

Challenging Traditional Management Theory

- There was a system to control behavior in order to increase productivity: A hierarchy of authority, impersonal rules that defines duties, standardised procedures, promotion based on achievement, and specialised labour.

- The command and control environment was designed to motify or control behaviour and not to build trust between individual through the formation of sustanaible relationships.

- Bureaucracy was capable of attaining the highest degree of efficiency and the most rationally known means of exercising authority over human beings.

- The driving force of the organisation was efficiency, increasing output and the wealth of the owners.

- Employees were not to be trusted and required stringent controls to ensure their behavior were focussed on increased productivity.

The “new” approaches to management

- System and procedures are required to support the orgranisation, no longer drive the organisation.

- The organisation should be considered as an open system and not a series of discrete parts. Relationships are established between people when there is a sharing of values, attitudes and beliefs, and cannot be mandated by strict adherence to systems and processes.

- Environment is designed to build trust and to maintain the appropriate performance measures which are acceptable to its staffs.

- The core competence of the organisation lies in the knowledge and skills of its people.

- The organisation must be values driven. The individuals in the organisation are committed to the purpose of the organisation, when the organisation is driven by common values and shared beliefs.

- Trust is based on shared values and value systems lie at the heart of human behaviour, that cannot be controlled through systems and processes, the traditional operating standard for many organisations.

The Challenges

The Development of Emotions and Relationship — Self-discovery process: the employees are made aware of their own strengths and limitations, of how they react in certain situations and understand why they experience particular emotional reactions in particular situations. Emotions dictate the individual’s ability to form relationships.

Inspiration — The need to create a focus for the realisation of individual dreams.

Environment and New Knowledge Creation — The creation of new knowledge in an environment where individuals are committed to the organisation and a high level of trust and integrity pervade the organisation.