The Team

Since this blog is a requirement for our PR0 622 course, let's introduce the team that made this blog and website happen.

Budi Citawan Wan Hanafi:

has not only the beauty, but also the brain. She is a diligent student and always tries her best to produce high-quality work. An avid fan of the arts, she has worked with numerous artistes, namely Shiela Majid and Datin Tiara Jacquelina.

e-mail: budie.citawan@gmail.com (add her on Facebook, if you haven't already!)












Nur Alia Wahidin:

is an inspired and entertaining person, who is kind to both people and animals. She enjoys reading, and plans to some day work to serve the people. If you need help or someone to talk you, Alia is that person.


e-mail: alia-ron@hotmail.com











Nur Hazwani Jayadi:

is an ambitious person with a vibrant personality. She has her own charm and personality which makes people comfortable to be around her. She is active and enthusiastic and her work is constantly a result of thorough examinations



e-mail: bangersister87@yahoo.com










Syamiza Suib:

is a sweet yet opinionated lady with a strong heart. She is energetic, competitive, and always on the go. Her works frequently hold a certain degree of excellence and worth. She is also a huge fan of crabs.

e-mail: ssyamiza@yahoo.com












Tasnim Abdul Hadi
is a bright student who is easygoing, determined, and cooperative. Her works are always at the best standard and she strives to get what she wants. Tasnim is also adaptable and works well under pressure. She also saves abandoned kittens in her free time.

e-mail: tasnim.ahadi@gmail.com

Questions, Questions

A lot has been said and many questions have been asked about Per Una. I'd just like to share with you some the questions that people have been asking about Per Una. This way, anyone reading this blog will be able to understand more about our company.

The first question comes from Shatila Mohan:

Hello. I’m a public relations student from National University of Bangladesh. My name is Shatila Mohan. Per Una Kuala Lumpur is a popular brand in my country and I would like to know if there is an internship opportunity for international students in your company in Malaysia?

And this is the reply I gave her:

Hello, Shatila. You could check out our website and look under the career opportunity tab to find the person in charge for this matter; Miss Jamilah Ibrahim, human resource manager. A more elaborated information on career and internship opportunity is also provided under this tab.

However, I shall provide a brief explanation on our internship program. We are open on our internship policy; we accept local or international fresh and enthusiastic students to be our interns. We offer valuable working experience and exposure as stepping stone for these students to pave their career path. If you are qualified, we would be honored to have you as our intern. Do send in your resume, cover letter, and recommendation letter to Miss Jamilah Ibrahim email. Thank you.


The second question comes from Intan Khairunnisa, a student from Shah Alam

I’m a loyal consumer of Silkyshine shampoo; one of the popular shampoo brands in Malaysia, manufactured by your company. For this year’s Hari Raya celebration, I went back to my village in Baling, Kedah. I forgot to bring my favorite shampoo along so I went to buy it in Baling. However, I could not find any even after going to four different stores and could only found it in the fifth store which was located nearer to town. How could this happen? Do Per Una products focus more on the city areas?

- Nisa, concerned consumer

And this is the reply:

Hi. First of all, we would like to thank you for being one of our loyal customers. It is however distressing to know that our customers have found difficulties to reach our products. Per Una tries to reach every possible retailers all over Malaysia by conducting research and placing offices in 10 states including Kedah. Nevertheless, some retailers in rural areas may not find our brands that appealing to their buyers, which resulted in them not ordering our products. We will put more effort into reaching this type of retailers and consumers in rural area.

Your comment and experience is of great help for us to notice this shortcoming. Thank you very much; I hope you will continue to be our loyal customer.

The third question comes from Nor Hayatie, and environmentalist:

Hello. Just want to ask if Per Una Kuala Lumpur's products are eco-friendly and how do they set the standards to make sure of this.

- Environment lover (Yatie)

Hello, environment lover. Yes, our products are eco-friendly. Almost all of our products use renewable and natural sources. We are also aggressively finding substitutes for animal fats to be used in our products such as softener and detergent. Our manufacturing plants and sources meet the standard of National Environment Association Malaysia and this association conduct inspection on our manufacturing plants and sources every year. We also received recognition from International Environment Standard Organization for our active efforts in assuring the safety and eco-friendliness of our products. For more information, check out our website.

Thank you for your concern.

The fourth question is more about the blog, rather than the company:

After going through the contents of your blog, I realized that you write more about your company rather than about yourself. Why not have a company blog instead?

And this is my reply:

- Thank you for taking your time to read this blog. Yes, I admit, many of the contents are about my company, but if you also read the chat box on my blog, you might realize that people have been using this blog to channel complaints and questions - much like what you're doing now. I cannot ignore the questions and comments coming in, because they need to be addressed. However, this blog does very much represent my company because as the CEO, I believe that wherever I go and whatever I do, I carry Per Una's name. But I appreciate your comment, thank you.

I very much appreciate all the questions and comments coming in, and I hope that by posting these select few, it will be able to clear up any misunderstandings or any other questions anyone might have about Per Una or myself.

When words don't do justice - we video blog!

Saving the Animals

I was recently contacted by an animal watchdog group, Save the Animals society because they were asking for some sort of donation or resource for an event that they are about to hold.

Although the main focus of Per Una is the environment and women's health, I believe that preservation of the environment extends to the proper treatment of animals. After all, a society is judged by the way they treat their most vulnerable, and in this case, they are the animals.

I agreed to sponsor and donate to them not because we are an animal rights advocate, but merely because it was the right thing to do. Per Una has an allocated budget to develop certain causes that we believe in, and after investing in the environment and breast cancer research for many years, I convinced the company's board members that animals are worth our time and effort.

I am and always will be an animal lover, and supporting the proper and ethical treatment of animals by supporting this organization will do good for our society. It will educate our children to love and care for those who are unable to fend for themselves, and to treat God's creations the way they were supposed to be treated.

Save the animals, save the world ;)

Why So Serious?

Although I hold the title of CEO, it does not mean I do not have a sense of humor. Here are just some really funny jokes I picked up randomly, mostly from Reader's Digest and here

Joke #1:

A gunman entered an Aurora, Indiana, convenience store and demanded all the money from the cash register. He then tied up the cashier and fled.

That's when he realized that he'd forgotten something: the money. He tried running back in, but by then the door had automatically locked, with the bag of loot sitting tantalizingly on the safe.

Joke #2

A bear walks into a bar and says,"Give me a scotch and... Coke."

"Why the long pause?"asks the bartender.

"I don't know," says the bear. "I've always had them."

Joke #3

Doctor: Have you taken my advice and slept with the window open?

Patient: Yes.

Doctor: So your asthma disappeared completely?

Patient: No, but my watch, TV, iPod and laptop have.

Joke #4

Due to the recession, to save on energy costs, the light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off - God

Joke #5

A woman rubs a lamp and out pops a genie.

"You're a kind lady, so I'll grant you one wish," the genie tells her.

"See this cat? I'd rather have a strong, handsome man," she says.

The genie agrees and -poof!-the cat turns into a Brad Pitt clone. The woman leaps into his lap.

"Do you have anything to say before we make love?" she asks.

"Yes," he says. "I bet you wish you hadn't neutered me last week."

1Malaysia

As many of you can see in the chat box next to this post, there is a question from Aini regarding the ethnic diversity in Per Una.

Before I begin, allow me to tell all of you the reason why I’m taking time to address this issue. Firstly it is because Aini is an old friend of mine from the university days, and she is also a journalist, and second, because the issue of unity and racial diversity in Per Una.

It is important not just for Aini to know, but also for everyone to understand that Per Una is not a company that practices affirmative action. This can be seen through the diverse board of directors that comprises of multiple ethnicities, including an Italian adviser. There are some departments that have staff members of only one ethnicity, and maybe this was what Aini meant. Because although we have a few departments that only have one ethnic group working in, it does not mean that the entire company comprises of only one ethic group. Being a multinational company, it is clearly impossible that Per Una only has Malay staff members. Per Una itself is a large company that has almost 100,000 employees, ranging from high level to lower level workers, and it is simply impossible that all of these 100,000 employees are all Malay. We at Per Una believe in meritocracy, and that everyone deserves a change.

However, being an Italian-based company in Malaysia, there are some issues that need to be addressed, for example certification of ‘halal’ ingredients or contents used in our products. This is why we have a special department that comprises of Malay Muslims who ensure that all the content and chemicals we use get the “halal” certification. It is also important to have this team who understands the mindset, culture and attitude of Malay Muslims, because they are the ones who usually have issues regarding the way things are made and processed, and whether or not it is done the Islamic way. This means that in order to adapt to the local surroundings, we decided to establish this team.

I apologize for the misunderstanding, and if it has caused Per Una to be seen as a company that favors any party over another. I would like to stress here that we value merits, and that we practice a fair recruitment system.
This query allows me to move on to discuss a more recent and pressing issue – about the 1Malaysia concept.
I honestly believe that we Malaysians do not need a campaign that already propagates something that has come so naturally to us. I believe that we have been practicing and living in the spirit of 1Malaysia even before our Prime Minister told us to do so. I do believe in 1Malaysia, and that it can and will exist if promises that were made are actually kept.

What you should know about Breast Cancer

Being a company that also produces beauty products, Per Una focuses on not only championing green living, but also issues regarding women's health, or more specifically, breast cancer and cervical cancer.

Here are some things you should know about breast cancer (adapted from www.breastcancerawareness.com)

Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.

The breast is made up of lobes and ducts. Each breast has 15 to 20 sections called lobes, which have many smaller sections called lobules. Lobules end in dozens of tiny bulbs that can produce milk. The lobes, lobules, and bulbs are linked by thin tubes called ducts.

Each breast also has blood vessels and lymph vessels. The lymph vessels carry an almost colorless fluid called lymph. Lymph vessels lead to organs called lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body. They filter substances in lymph and help fight infection and disease. Clusters of lymph nodes are found near the breast in the axilla (under the arm), above the collarbone, and in the chest.

The most common type of breast cancer is ductal carcinoma, which begins in the cells of the ducts. Cancer that begins in the lobes or lobules is called lobular carcinoma and is more often found in both breasts than are other types of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is an uncommon type of breast cancer in which the breast is warm, red, and swollen.

Age and health history can affect the risk of developing breast cancer.

Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Risk factors for breast cancer include the following:

• Older age.
• Menstruating at an early age.
• Older age at first birth or never having given birth.
• A personal history of breast cancer or benign (noncancer) breast disease.
• A mother or sister with breast cancer.
• Treatment with radiation therapy to the breast/chest.
• Breast tissue that is dense on a mammogram.
• Taking hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.
• Drinking alcoholic beverages.
• Being white.

Breast cancer is sometimes caused by inherited gene mutations (changes).

The genes in cells carry the hereditary information that is received from a person's parents. Hereditary breast cancer makes up approximately 5% to 10% of all breast cancer. Some altered genes related to breast cancer are more common in certain ethnic groups.

Women who have an altered gene related to breast cancer and who have had breast cancer in one breast have an increased risk of developing breast cancer in the other breast. These women also have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, and may have an increased risk of developing other cancers. Men who have an altered gene related to breast cancer also have an increased risk of developing this disease. (For more information, refer to the PDQ summary on Male Breast Cancer Treatment.)

Tests have been developed that can detect altered genes. These genetic tests are sometimes done for members of families with a high risk of cancer. (Refer to the PDQ summaries on Screening for Breast Cancer, Prevention of Breast Cancer, and Genetics of Breast and Ovarian Cancer for more information.)

Tests that examine the breasts are used to detect (find) and diagnose breast cancer.

A doctor should be seen if changes in the breast are noticed. The following tests and procedures may be used:

• Mammogram: An x-ray of the breast.
• Biopsy: The removal of cells or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope by a pathologist to check for signs of cancer. If a lump in the breast is found, the doctor may need to cut out a small piece of the lump. Four types of biopsies are as follows:
  • Excisional biopsy: The removal of an entire lump or suspicious tissue.
  • Incisional biopsy: The removal of part of a lump or suspicious tissue.
  • Core biopsy: The removal of part of a lump or suspicious tissue using a wide needle.
  • Needle biopsy or fine-needle aspiration biopsy: The removal of part of a lump, suspicious tissue, or fluid, using a thin needle.
• Estrogen and progesterone receptor test: A test to measure the amount of estrogen and progesterone (hormones) receptors in cancer tissue. If cancer is found in the breast, tissue from the tumor is examined in the laboratory to find out whether estrogen and progesterone could affect the way cancer grows. The test results show whether hormone therapy may stop the cancer from growing.

Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.

The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the following:

• The stage of the cancer (whether it is in the breast only or has spread to lymph nodes or other places in the body).
• The type of breast cancer.
• Estrogen-receptor and progesterone-receptor levels in the tumor tissue.
• A woman's age, general health, and menopausal status (whether a woman is still having menstrual periods).
• Whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or has recurred (come back).

Hopefully with all this information, women will be more informed about this, and will take necessary precautionary steps in order to reduce the likelihood of getting breast cancer.

Remember, women are the pillar of strength for their families, and the country.

Warm regards,

Marina Idris