Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

Journalism for an Equitable Asia | Award Launch Just a few days ago, Orchan coordinated a public event for our partner organisation, the Asia Centre, a regional think-tank based out of Bangkok and Johor. Bringing together several prominent voices from the Malaysian media and activist scene for a public debate, the event was not only a forum to discuss issues of where journalism is heading in Malaysia post-BN, but an opportunity for Asia Centre to launch, in conjunction with Oxfam in Asia, a journalism award, “Journalism for an Equitable Asia”. Journalists play a key role in not only telling the stories that they are presented with, but in undertakening ground-breaking and life-changing research to uncover stories as to what is happening at the margins of society. Journalists risk their reputation and lives to tell these untold stories, and to develop awaresness for the rest of us, so that we have a better grasp on issues facing others in society. This awa...

Hey Sugar What’s all the Fuss? Unless you’ve been living in a cave the past couple of days, you probably can’t help but notice the lovely billboards in Bangsar and Mont Kiara promoting an ‘ethically-questionable’ dating site. Well, I don’t have a problem with the site – each to their own, and as far as I can see, it isn’t breaking the law by being in existence. It almost feels like something the Singapore government used to do for its citizens – helping them find appropriate partners of the right ‘socio-economic’ background. But, I digress. My interest in this case study is not the billboard per se; but in its actual use. Let me take a conspiracy marketing perspective to this. Here we have a business that is hard to market through traditional channels. In fact, only online promotion, most likely via other apps, is going to facilitate this type of advertising in Malaysia (and in other generally-conservative southeast Asian countries). Th...

Dedicated to Farrell, for the bowls of rice through to Chateau Briand We represent a lot of restaurants; we host numerous food reviews, and let’s be honest, the trend is catching – photographing your bowl of rice before one tucks into a meal! OK, maybe not rice, but you know what I mean. It is often the image seen at first sight that captures someone’s attention. Visually appealing pictures have the power to not only make people drool, but to enhance our hunger pangs. If a photo of a dish inheriting such after-effect quality was to be posted on Instagram, there’s a huge chance that it would lead the viewers to double-tap, make comments on the post and eventually pay a visit to the outlet. Provided that the food looks good (well-prepared, fresh on the plate, untouched) and hopefully, tastes as good as it looks; taking good food pics (with a quality device of course) isn’t all that difficult. We found this interesting article by Brian Sozzi that talks about that ‘little so...

Create! Many people say that they are "not creative", but the truth is, they really are. Creativity is not defined by single criterion; creativity may manifest itself in so many ways. Art, music, writing, thinking, debating ... We all have it!  Now isn't it time we all use it?

Importance of Training and Education at the Workplace Training and education are oft used as interchangeable terms, and might seem like synonymous concepts. Both are a way of learning something new, and involve transformational changes of the individual. For instance, if you learnt how to create a graphic on Microsoft Excel, it would be considered as training, since you acquired a task-specific set of professional skills. On the other hand, if you’d learnt about Microsoft Excel’s full functionalities and mechanics instead, it would be considered as education, since you’d have background knowledge of the software and can extend beyond graphic-making. The main difference between both concepts is that education is concept-based, whilst training is more skill-oriented. Education provides the depth required for problem-solving and innovation whilst training increases proficiency and technical familiarity. The combination of both concepts allows us to combine thorough understa...

Servcorp Launch @ Ilham Tower The Servcorp Skyline A few years ago, Orchan had the privilege to launch Servcorp Malaysia’s then newest serviced suite complex in the fashionable, and certainly iconic Nu Sentral. A small affair, with clients, friends of Servcorp, and a few media in attendance, Servcorp Nu Sentral was opened with all the fanfare and sophistication of a high end property launch. Fast forward; and we were at it again. This time, in the very swanky Ilham Tower, just opposite The Troika – on the fringe of Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle. Think miles and miles of steel, acres of shiny, reflective glass, and stunning architectural design that would ensure any architect remains on the map; Ilham Tower certainly represents the new breed of skyscrapers; and Servcorp’s ultra-sleek and certainly impressive Level 33 facility screams style and professionalism, in a stunningly conservative way, of course. It was a rainy Kuala Lumpur evening, as one can expect for this t...

Leadership Language | Should You Watch What You Say? Organisational leaders play an important role in the workplace structure, as words and phrases used by leaders have a significant impact on organisational personnel. At times, leaders struggle in managing his/her team because they fail to identify appropriate word choices in communication with employees. Despite having positional power, the lack of compelling authority jeopardizes their ability in leading his/her team. What organisational leaders say have a profound impact on their team’s morale and productivity. Employees respond positively to motivational and constructive language, and leaders should be aware and actively employ positive forms of language to foster an effective working environment. For example, traditional forms of performance assessment involve one-sided, infrequent reviews of employees. Instead, assessment should be driven towards a more personalized direction, where the conversation is centered...