First Day at Work

After consulting Yuva and spending some time on Google maps, Adam and I both discovered that it would be easier to take a RM6.60 (US$2.18) cab from Lensa Villa to the Bangsar LRT (train station). From there it would be easy for both of us to get to our respective internships. Mine was just one stop away at the KL Sentral Station, costing RM1 (US$0.34). Next week, we will learn how to take the bus to Bangsar and save even more money. My office was just a block away at Plaza Sentral. I arrived at 7:50AM. Assuming that the office would not open so early, I set up free WIFI on my Blackberry and began to check email and instant message Rajwantie via Google talk. I bought a bottle of water from the coffee stand in the lobby for over RM8—that’s almost US$3 for some water!

At 8:30AM, I confirmed the location of the OWW Consulting office at the help desk, and headed to the 12th floor. I found the office, could not see anyone through the locked glass doors, rang the bell, waited a minute, and returned downstairs. In the meantime, I tried to develop a budget with a daily allowance of ringgit, based on the costs that I observed so far. I checked the office again at 9AM with no luck. I called the office with my Malaysian cell phone, but got no answer. I returned once more at 9:30AM, Luke greeted me, let me in, and escorted me to the back of the office, where 4 young guys, 1 slightly older man, 2 slightly older women, and a younger women worked in silence. Luke introduced me to everyone in his accent from somewhere in the UK. He reminded me that the CEO, Dr. Williams (Geoff) would be in the UK until Wednesday.

After offering me something to drink, Carlos asked me about my flight and New Orleans. He shared his US experiences in both “shitty little towns” and “great cities.” Carlos assured me that New Orleans was one of the 4 or 5 US cities that he liked. After I disclosed my academic background, he shared his frustration with the aid culture in the field of development. Spewing one curse per sentence in his hybrid Colombian-Malaysian accent, he suggested that too many development organizations are “so fucking unprofessional.” Plus they should focus on all of the “shitty parts of the US” before they try to help others. He suggested that places should develop on their own at a natural pace. One of the younger guys, Devern and I chatted about American University and Teach for America while Geoff set up my work station, login, and email address.

Carlos explained to me what OWW actually does. They look at corporations mainly in Southeast Asia and evaluated their level of Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The following categories for SRI ratings are Labor, Environment, Business Behavior, Corporate Governance, Community Involvement, Human Rights, and Disclosure of Information. Each category has several sub-criteria that lean towards quantitative, with some qualitative data included. That is the positivism side.

The data that we use for SRI ratings is found on Google Finance, annual reports found on the companies’ websites, and online news searches. All PDFs are downloaded and saved. Then the SRI rating process begins. OWW has developed an online form that allows analysts to input data by checking boxes, summarizing evidence of (or lack thereof) sub-criteria, and citing the source. Once completed, the form automatically generates a quantitative percentile score with qualitative evidence.

My job for the next few days will be to conduct research on companies and complete SRI ratings. Sean, a young guy who is a leader of some sort, says that each company should take about 2 days to complete. I do not know whether it was the giant plate of food (RN5.50/US$1.82) I had in Little India (1 block away from Plaza Sentral) for lunch or just that I am new, but the pace at which that I was moving through my first one means that I may take me a little longer. It is very tedious work. I was able to peruse through a binder full of old SRI ratings that had been proofread. The one recurring criticism that I found a little intimidating was the proofreader saying that “this wording is from company perspective, not that of an analyst.” I hope to learn that language quickly. On the other hand, I can avoid many mistakes of non-native English speakers—almost the entire firm.

Carlos heads the education division of the firm that conducts CSR trainings and develops curricula—Academy of Responsible Management.

I was delighted to be informed that the normal work attire is smart casual (business casual) and Fridays are dress-down days (jeans and a t-shirt). Friday is also an hour shorter (9AM-5PM, instead of 9AM-6PM).

When I returned to my room, the AC was finally working. As much as I wanted to stay awake and get my sleeping schedule right, the AC and Indian food put me in a light coma.