Herald
Sun, Thursday, June 7, 2001 The
One.Tel collapse Article : Magic fails to do the trick
Could
golden monsters, tropical fish and badly positioned mirrors have contributed to
the collapse of One.Tel?
Details
emerged yesterday of the failed company’s reliance on ancient Chinese
superstitions.
Mirrors
were hung to deflect negative spirits.
Little
golden statues with the head of a dragon and body of a horse were placed in
pairs on windowsills to ward off evil.
Partitions
and walls that could hinder the flow of energy were banned.
The
telco spent thousands of dollars flying Melbourne based feng shui master Patrick
Yang around the world to “balance” its offices.
Mr
Yang, who has also advised the Bank of Melbourne and the National Australia
Bank, said yesterday his work had protected staff and led to better results for
One.Tel
“I’ve
got a bit of a reputation in feng shui; that’s why they hired me after
consulting the Chinese community,” he said yesterday.
Mr
Yang, who was born in Vietnam and migrated to Australia in 1985, said he
suggested lucky numbers for directors Jodee Rich and Brad Keeling.
“Brad
and Jodee are born in different years. Some numbers are good for Brad and some
are good for Jodee,” he said.
Mr
Yang attributed the company’s failure to its rapid expansion rather than
failed feng shui.
The
Hoppers Crossing businessman was first approached by One.Tel in 1997 when the
company set up shop in Melbourne.
“I
helped them improve the business,” he said.
Mr
rich and Mr Keeling were so happy, they hired him to visit One.Tel offices in
London, Zurich and Hong Kong.
“I
tell them which (buildings) can earn money, which one can lost money and give
them a report, “ he said.
Mr
Yang said he also visited Mr Rich’s Sydney house and helped his baby daughter
sleep better.
He
said a previous feng shui expert used by One.Tel had been ineffective and had
charged too much.
He
said he had billed the company less than $50,000 over three years.
One.Tel’s
headquarters in Sydney have Hong Kong trained Mr Yang the most trouble.
One.Tel
did not own the building and many of the changes he suggested could not be made.
Other
feng shui consultants said yesterday this could have caused problems. Melbourne
consultant Jodi Brunner said a “bits and pieces” approach to the ancient art
wasn’t good.
“It’s
a source of frustration when the client doesn’t do everything you suggest,”
she said.
It
also didn’t help when consultants were forced to work in existing buildings,
she said.
Ms
Brunner said the destiny of One.Tel must have been stronger than the forces of
feng shui.
A
key test of Master Yang’s work was whether those who hired him, Mr Rich and Mr
Keeling, were prosperous.
“And
they are – so it seems to have worked,” she said.
Authentic
Feng Shui consultant Joy Emin said she knew One.Tel employees who’d been very
happy in the building.
“The
work they’d done was good for worker; they all seemed very pleased,” she
said “There were obviously other factors at play.” Jodi Brunner holds a Master of Feng Shui with Master Joseph Yu, Feng Shui Research Center, Canada. She is primarily a Feng Shui practitioner and trainer, also an accredited speaking member of the National Speakers Association of Australia and the founder of the FENG SHUI network. Contact Jodi at www.fengshuimaster.com.au for more info. Ó Copyright Jodi Brunner 2003 All Rights Reserved |