Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2009

The London based Financial Times has just released their Global MBA School Ranking for 2009, naming University of Pennsylvania: Wharton (USA) and London Business School (UK) as the joint no. 1 business school for MBA programs.

The ranking is based on factors including the average alumni salary, their salary increment from before getting the MBA to today as a percentage of the pre-MBA salary, value for money of the MBA course, career progress, fulfillment of aims of doing the MBA, placement and employment success after graduation, alumni recommendation, female students, international students, doctoral degree availability, academic research publication, etc.

The top 10 rankings for 2009 are as follow:

• University of Pennsylvania: Wharton (USA)
• London Business School (UK)
• Harvard Business School (USA)
• Columbia Business School (USA)
• Insead (France / Singapore)
• Stanford University GSB (USA)
• IE Business School (Spain)
• CEIBS (China)
• MIT: Sloan (USA)
• New York University: Stern (USA)

Click here to see the top 100 business schools listed in the Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2009 and their scores in each of the ranking factors.

JobsDB Compensation and Benefit Survey Report 2009

JobsDB has just released a 67 pages Compensation and Benefit Survey Report 2009. Opinion Research Corporation is the research consultant for this survey.

This survey is conducted to collate information on the pay trend of both full-time salaried employees working in different business sectors in Malaysia. Information on different types of benefits was also collected to complement the analysis.

The survey covered 107 companies from 36 business sectors. Only full-time salaried employees working in Malaysia were surveyed. Expatriates, part-time and temporary employees were excluded. Among the 107 companies surveyed, 58% of the companies employ less than 50 staff; 14% employed between 50-100 staff; 15% employed between 101-200 staff; 8% employed 201-500 staff and 5% employed more than 500 staff. The information gathered is recent to December 2008.

The salary range of various job functions in 2008 and 2009, and their increment in 2009, are detailed out in the report.

Here are some of the findings in the report:

• In 2009, 38.9% of the employees’ salaries are expected to be freeze. 54.8% of them will have an increase between 0.6% and 7%, whereas 6.3% will have an increase of more than 7.0%.
• The overall average amount of performance bonus for senior management in 2008 was 1.4 months (of the basic monthly salaries), for middle management was 1.0 months, for executives is 0.8 months, and for non-executive is 0.6 months.
• By 2009, 76% of the employees in the surveyed companies are expected to enjoy a five-day working week. Among the surveyed, 67% have already implemented a five-day working week policy in or before 2008. For those not implementing in 2008, 9% expect to implement next year.

Click here to download the JobsDB Compensation and Benefit Survey Report 2009.

You might probably also be interested to read on:

• Result of Robert Walters Global Salary Survey 2008
• Result of ZDNet Asia IT Salary Benchmark Survey 2008
• Malaysia Salary Guide 2008/09 from Kelly Services
• Malaysia Employment Outlook & Salary Guide 2009/2010 from Kelly Services 

Intel decided to close 2 plants in Penang

Intel has been one of the major foreign investors and employers in Penang for thirty over years, providing job for about 6000 workers in the island. The company is known as one of the good employers with great career prospects that most electronic and/or electrical engineers wanting to work for.

However, the current global recession is now putting a blow to about 2000 affected workers in Intel Penang, after they decided to shut down 2 assembly test facilities (PG6 and PG7) in the island as part of their global restructuring plan.

No doubt their move will affect the Malaysian economy, as generally Intel's employees are having relatively higher income, which have higher purchase power that contributes to the economy especially the property and retail sectors in Penang island itself.

It is hoped that their remaining 6 plants in Penang, as well as their plants in Kedah Kulim Hi-Tech Park will continue to operate and not be affected.

It is also hoped that the Penang state government currently ruled by Pakatan Rakyat and leads by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng can come out with some good measures in retaining foreign investors in Penang.

I feel really sorry to hear about this, and feel more worry about the global economic situation.